Ebb and Flow
by Junesong Reverie
Summary: Since the day they met as children in the South Pole, she always knew when he was lying. To Tahno's irritation, Korra is still the only one that could bring out the best and worst in him. Tahno x Korra, AU.
1. First Impressions

**Author's Notes:** Playing around with the idea of Tahno and Korra meeting when they're kids seemed fun at the time, so here it is. I wanted to try this because 1) I wanted to do something different from the first story I published and 2) I have NO idea where the show is going to go (but I wait with bated breath).

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Legend of Korra_ or its characters.

**Chapter 1: First Impressions**

He had spent almost two weeks in the South Pole, and Tahno decided that he hated it as much as a 14-year-old boy from Republic City _could_ hate an eternally frozen wasteland.

He never had much reason to trust grown-ups, and this trip certainly didn't change his opinion. First, the captain, who assured Tahno that he was experienced with navigating the southern waters, had docked the boat in the wrong village.

Due to a chain of stray icebergs or to a misreading of the ever-shifting constellations, the ship had navigated off course. Tahno really didn't remember which excuse the captain rambled off. What mattered was that he was stuck in some dull little village in the South Pole, and it wasn't even the _right_ dull little village. It had taken him a couple days' time to find a guide to lead him to his destination.

Next, when he finally arrived at the right settlement, he was told that their residential waterbending master-the sole reason he made this stupid trip-was currently unavailable. The locals said that she had important business to attend to outside of the settlement, and she wouldn't return for another week.

He smiled politely enough when he was told the unfortunate news, but truthfully he was irritated beyond rational thought. Tahno had come to this desolate place to seek out the Southern Water tribe woman named Katara. After training with the most well-known waterbendering teachers in Republic City, he wasn't satisfied being told that there was nothing more he could learn.

When he discovered that the waterbender famous for helping end the Hundred Year War was alive and well in the South Pole, Tahno decided to take his yuans out of the city to find Katara. As much as he despised having to wait, he consoled himself knowing that he would soon be training under the previous Avatar's waterbending master. He spent his days in a small igloo that served as a pathetic excuse for an inn, passing the time mostly in his room by either reading or training by himself.

Restlessness got the better of him on the fourth day. Even though he knew there was nothing interesting in the dull village, Tahno went for a walk. As soon as he stepped outside, he cursed quietly when the stinging wind blew through his wavy black hair. He regretted not packing a thicker jacket with each second he spent trudging past the lit huts.

He was beginning to wonder how any human being could live in this arctic backcountry when he saw it.

In the distance, a massive glacier had cleanly split in two with a low, rumbling growl. As he watched the dual pieces of solid ice tumble back into the ocean, he realized that it was actually the dead of winter. A glacier breaking off into pieces wasn't unheard of, but it usually didn't happen until the temperatures rose. And if the bone-chilling cold that his jacket did little to protect was any indicator, spring was _very_ far off.

Moments after the glacier had broken, an immense stream of water spiraled into the air. It twisted fluidly underneath the gray sky, and as Tahno watched in astonishment, the flowing movements slowly became more rigid. As the sun broke out from the thick clouds, the light glistened off the newly-formed ice spiral that stood where the massive glacier had been before.

Hoping that the waterbending master had returned sooner than he was told, Tahno broke into a run.

The snow and ice crunched loudly underneath his boots as he sprinted further away from the village and closer towards the ocean. Each breath of cold air he took burned in his lungs, and his feet were becoming numb from the ice he ran though, but he didn't slow down. Finally, after almost two weeks of travel and setbacks, he was going to meet the waterbender who trained Avatar Aang. He was _finally_ going to become stronger.

The ice spiral loomed over him like a frozen sentinel as he ran closer. When he finally reached the coastline, he was surprised to find a small coated figure standing near the edge of the water. A mound of snow, which he _swore_ was moving, laid to the right of the waterbender. The figure's back was to Tahno as they faced the newly-formed glacier that jutted out from the ocean depths.

The roar of the ocean made the waterbender deaf to any other presence. The hood of their dark blue coat wasn't drawn up, revealing dark hair untidily pulled back in a ponytail. Tahno watched silently as the waterbender's hands were poised upwards, their feet firmly planted in the ice. They remained in that stance for several minutes, and then their small hands slashed downward. Cracks rapidly spread across the glossy surface of the spiral, and within minutes, the gigantic structure splintered into pieces. A sound similar to the clinging of several silver bells rang through the air as the waterbender and Tahno watched the ice fall back into the water like thousands of glass shards.

"Not bad." He commented nonchalantly over the splashing noise the ice fragments made as they returned into the waiting ocean.

The figure whipped around, and a pair of vibrant blue eyes gaped at him. Her long bangs were askew as they hung about her tanned, round face. The girl's hands were balled up into fists at her side as if she ready to attack. He estimated that she couldn't have been older than 12 or 13.

He greeted her casually with a grin. The startled look quickly disappeared, and her mouth was set in a deep frown. "Don't sneak up on people!"

"I wasn't sneaking up on you," he clarified, taking a few steps closer to her. "Maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings."

The slight difference in height didn't seem to matter to the younger girl as her chin tilted upwards at him in challenge. Her lips formed a pout and the bright blue eyes were narrowed at him.

"Your clothes look weird." Her words were blunt, but he didn't detect a hint of malice in them. "Where are you from?"

"Civilization, where we don't ask rude questions to people we just met."

Anger flickered across her face. "This _is_ a civilization! And I'm NOT being rude!"

"Five huts and a couple of igloos in the middle of nowhere isn't civilization. And yes, you _are _being rude. But I'll let it slide if you answer one of _my_ questions, now."

She raised a thin brow suspiciously, but said nothing.

"Who taught you how to waterbend?"

The girl crossed her arms. "Why do you want to know?"

He smirked. "It's none of your business."

"Of course it is! What do you want with Master Katara?"

His smirk widened when the girl confirmed his suspicions. "Because maybe I'm a waterbender, and I want to train with the master who taught the last Avatar."

He wasn't sure which part of his statement did it, but she suddenly stood up straight and her eyes widened in slight alarm. The confidence that emulated from her a few moments disappeared, and she now looked uneasy.

Tahno chose against questioning the abrupt change in behavior, but he pressed on about the master's whereabouts. "Well? Where is she?"

Her eyes shifted away from him and to the snow at their feet when she finally answered, "Her hut's about ten minutes south from the rest of the village."

"Is she back there now?"

"I answered your stupid question already!" The anger had returned in the girl's voice, and she pointed an accusatory finger at him. "If you want to talk to Master Katara, go see her yourself!" With that, the girl spun away from him and back to the water. She didn't spare him another glance, and she forced herself to fall back into a waterbender's stance.

He _could _haveleft that infuriating girl to her training and go back to the inn, but no. He never liked it when people were less than helpful to him, and now wasn't any different.

A devious smile played on his lips as he set the bait. "I'm sure Katara will like teaching a _talented _waterbender for once."

The arc of water that she began to manipulate immediately broke. Her head slowly turned, her bright blue eyes glinting furiously at him.

Knowing he had her caught, he continued. "It'll be a nice change from babysitting little girls."

He was anticipating her to utilize the ocean behind her; he was even ready to dodge any incoming water whips that she may have sent his way. She _did_ raise her hand, but there was no waterbending. Instead, she lifted two fingers to her lips in a shrill whistle.

He was knocked onto his stomach without warning. A wave of cold rapidly washed over him when his face hit the snow, and Tahno whimpered audibly when he realized that something huge had him pinned down. The low growls of a feral animal resounded in his ears, its foul, fish-tainted breath was hot on the back of his jacket. From the corner of his eye, he was able to make out the shape of its pointed, bared fangs and a pair of wrathful black eyes that glowered at him from atop an elongated snout.

"That's enough, Naga."

He gasped for air when the creature lifted its two massive paws from off his back. Tahno scrambled up from the snow and away from the furry arctic beast that now obediently sat at the girl's side. Apparently, his eyes _weren't _playing tricks on him when he saw that mound of snow from earlier move.

The girl patted her pet's snout lovingly. "What's the matter? Never seen a polar bear dog before?"

He glared at her, a combination of embarrassment and anger preventing his mind from forming a clever comeback. She laughed at his silence and clambered onto the saddle that was strapped on the beast's back. She looked down at him from where she sat on her pet, and she shot Tahno a victorious grin.

"Good luck getting Master Katara to teach you, pretty boy!" She stuck her tongue out mockingly at him before the creature bounded off into a sprint. His eyes followed the girl as she disappeared with her pet onto the white horizon of the tundra. She never looked back.

He rose to his feet, brushing off the snow from his jacket. His thin fingers ran through the mussed black curls of his hair, his erratic heartbeat steadying itself again. After he collected himself, he tried to remember the last time anything or anyone had gotten under his skin.

When he couldn't remember, he decided that the only thing he hated more than the South Pole was that loudmouthed little Water Tribe girl.

He begrudgingly followed the girl's directions the next day. Fortunately, the waterbending master was present and welcomed him into her home. While she prepared tea for both of them, she began asking questions about his journey. Accustomed to making small talk with grown-ups, Tahno hid his impatience with polite answers.

When they were finally seated on the matted floor of the living area, Tahno began to skip the rest of the pleasantries and go right to the purpose of his visit. "I travelled a long way here, Master Katara."

"Yes, Republic City is quite the distance." The old woman commented after taking a delicate sip of the fresh-brewed tea.

"I trained with all the best waterbenders there," he continued, "and I've learned all I could from them. Now, I want to learn from you."

Katara was quiet, but her blue eyes, lucid even now at her age, seemed as if they were searching him for something. He pressed on, attempting to keep his voice even. "I read how you taught Avatar Aang waterbending. I want to learn what _he_ learned. When I go back home, I want to be the strongest waterbender in Republic City."

The old woman lifted her cup to her lips, and after she set it back down, she softly replied, "It takes more than a few advanced lessons to become a strong waterbender, young man."

Dumbfounded by the statement, Tahno tried a different approach. "I have enough yuans to cover-"

"You can't buy strength, either," Katara gently interrupted. "Waterbending takes time and patience to master. It's not something you can rush."

She slowly got up to her feet. "I'll be starting classes again every morning, starting tomorrow. You're more than welcome to attend with my advanced students-"

"I'm _already _an advanced waterbender." He interjected crossly, his well-mannered facade was beginning to crack.

"You may be in Republic City, but I have yet to see your waterbending skills. Out here, a person works for what they've earned. After you've participated in the classes, I'll decide if you're ready for more lessons."

The firmness in her keen eyes made him fight back the impulse to yell at the old woman. She was elderly, but Tahno knew she was far from weak-willed.

"I have an appointment to keep. Class will start tomorrow morning." Her voice wasn't unkind, but it was stern. Knowing better than to argue, Tahno only nodded before he left.

His anger burned white-hot in the arctic chill of the morning. The old woman's refusal stung as harshly as the polar winds that rose steadily from the ocean.

Tahno's mood only worsened when he saw a small figure in a familiar dark blue coat walk over a nearby snow bank ahead. She was alone this time, and she regarded him warily when she recognized him.

"Where's your smelly mongrel? You lose it somewhere?" He asked, enjoying the furious look she shot him in response.

"Her name's Naga!"

"Whatever. Aren't you too little to be walking by yourself?"

She scowled at him. "I'm definitely not too little to kick your teeth in."

He grinned venomously at her challenge. "Why don't you _try_?"

Looking down at her, Tahno noticed how bright her blue eyes really were underneath the rising morning sun. Her dark brown hair was held back in that messy ponytail again. Her long bangs whipped violently against the wind, which did nothing to hide the girl's expression of utter contempt.

"_Korra!_" The elderly waterbender's voice broke out over the rolling banks of snow and ice. "Korra, is that you?"

The girl's eyes widened in recognition, and Tahno watched her arms, which were tensed a moment ago, relax at her sides once more.

He knew it was pointless then to continue. "You're being called, little girl. Run along now."

The taunt earned him a reproachful glare and another threat. "Let me know whenever you want to go toe-to-toe with me, pretty boy."

"I'm shaking." He responded airily. The girl marched past him, her boots leaving prints in the snow. She stuck her tongue out at him like she had done yesterday, and when her back was turned to him, the game was over for now.

As he watched her leave for a second time, he mulled her first name over in his head: _Korra_. It was easy enough to remember, but Tahno decided that being on a first-name basis with that ill-mannered brat was out of the question. He was fine with calling her "little girl" for now.

In the meantime, he was relieved that there was _something_ to amuse him in this dull little village.


	2. Second Chances

**Author's Notes: **I want to thank everyone for all the alerts and reviews. They're really encouraging! I know the first chapter was a little dull, so hopefully this makes up for it. Please let me know what you think by leaving a review! Thanks for reading~ Now for sleeeeeeeeeeep.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Legend of Korra _or its wonderful characters.

**Chapter 2: Second Chances**

Tahno wasn't sure what annoyed him more: the girl, or the fact that no one could tell him anything worthwhile about her. After asking about her casually, the other students could only tell him bare details: her name was Korra, her parents lived in the village, and she was Katara's best waterbending student. Tahno even flirted with a couple of the girls in class in hopes of finding out more, and they didn't provide much valuable information either. The only strange thing that one student had told him was that there have been weeks, even months, when the girl wasn't seen in the village at all. Since her parents were said to have a home in the village, Tahno found it peculiar that the girl didn't live with them.

No one told him the reason why she disappeared so often and for so long. He was met either with hesitant responses or legitimate unknowing expressions. Wherever the girl went to, no one would tell him, but seeing her on his way to morning practice was part of his daily routine.

As the sun hit the top of the snowy banks, he would see her small figure wrapped in the fur-trimmed blue coat and her ponytail whipping in the polar winds. He was able to make out the details of her all-too-familiar frown as she got nearer. Their greetings, if they occurred at all, were brief. He was always "pretty boy", she was always "little girl". Afterwards, it was a short exchange of threats, and most times, he was the one who won. Her lips would move wordlessly, unable to respond to one of his taunts. She would stomp away in defeat and he would grin at her retreating back. That little victory would be enough to carry him through Master Katara's lessons.

There were also the few mornings where they didn't say anything. Her bright blue eyes would stare at him silently, or she would stick her tongue out at him as they passed each other. The corner of his lips would be turned up in a wide grin as always, but the disappointment stuck with him when there was silence. On those days the rest of the morning would pass by slowly as he kept up with the other waterbenders in his class. He still excelled in practice, but each fluid movement of his hands and feet were weighed down by the dissatisfaction of not hearing her feeble insults or her exasperated snarls. The success of knowing that his taunts had gotten to her softened the reality that the brat was training privately with the waterbending master.

He didn't understand it; he was undoubtedly the best student in the class. Anyone who had the misfortune of sparring with him knew it, too. Yet Katara didn't say anything about moving him beyond the advanced lessons. He was silent about it, but it infuriated him to no end, especially when the old woman made time every morning to give one-on-one lessons with that Korra girl. He didn't know what was so special about her. She was a noisy, bad-mannered little child. He _knew_ he could be better than her if they fought, and he would especially be stronger than Korra if Master Katara would just agree to train him outside of class. Every night when he stared restlessly at the low ceiling in his room, his thoughts would go back to the moment when he first met her. She was standing in front of the self-made spiral of ice, and with the rough motions of her arms, she willed it to crumble into pieces. She was looking skywards, watching her creation tumble through the air in an endless curtain of small bright shards. He remembered bitterly how awe-inspiring the sight of her skillfully manipulating the churning ocean waters was, how her lips formed that defiant little pout, how her blue eyes sparked boldly at him underneath the arctic sun.

It made him angry how well he could recall the details of her waterbending, her face, her voice-everything. Maybe all those reasons were why he said the words he did that one morning.

"You don't have any friends here, do you?"

She spun around to face him. "What?"

"You spend so much time training with Master Katara by yourself. From what I've heard, you don't really hang out with anyone here either."

He enjoyed how her eyes were glaring at him right now, how tightly her jaw was clenched. "You don't know what you're talking about. I have friends-"

"Polar bear mutts and old waterbending teachers don't count, little girl. Truth is, you don't have any _real_ friends." The words were cruel, but he didn't stop them from leaving his lips. "Is it because you think you're better than everyone?"

"Shut up." Her response was simple but stern. Her boots were firmly planted in the snow, her gloved hands balled up into fists. He's seen her stand like this before, but now, she was trembling. From the corner of his eye, he saw more coated figures walking over the snow-covered hills. The other students had arrived, and now they were all staring intently at him and the little girl. Their presence didn't bother him, though; he always preferred an audience.

With a particularly cruel grin, he drew closer to her. "Or is it because no one likes you?"

She winced at the question as if she had been struck. "You don't know what you're talking about." The words were thick with uncertainty, like she had tried with great effort to force them out of her throat.

"I _do_ know. No one likes you- that's why you train all by yourself. Adults like Master Katara feel sorry for a kid like you, but it's all _your_ fault, really. No one could stand being around some loudmouthed, temperamental _little girl_."

The blue depths of her eyes seemed to waver, and her bottom lip trembled slightly. Looking at her like that elicited something strange inside him. For a moment, the satisfaction of getting under her skin was marred with something heavier, something unpleasant. He should've stopped there. In fact, a little part of him wanted to, but he was too angry, too frustrated at the younger waterbender who stood in front of him.

No, he wasn't finished. "You'll never have any friends."

A few seconds after those last words left his lips, a blinding pain exploded against his right jaw. He hit the snow unceremoniously, a sudden chill pervading his clothes. He tasted something warm and copper in his mouth. Her knees were heavy against his chest, pinning him against the snow. Her gritted teeth formed an angry scowl and her eyes were raging blue flames, her hand raised in mid-air in preparation for another strike. Pure instinct took over his arms as they manipulated the snow around him and sent it flying at the girl. His attack knocked her off him and she went airborne until her body landed soundly against the ground. She was up on her feet soon enough, and he scrambled to barely dodge an incoming wave of snow. He deflected the second wave by raising a wall of snow in front of him. The faint cries of his watching classmates were barely audible over the solid thump of the girl's attack against his shield of snow. The impact of her assault caused cracks in the shield, but it otherwise held steady long enough for him to begin bending the liquid in the water skin that hung on his left hip. He swiftly moved away from the wall to fling a water whip at her, but she brushed it away with a curtain of snow. While she was distracted, he swiftly bent the snow beneath him with an arcing kick, which caught her in the shoulder and sent her stumbling back. Wanting to strike while she was off guard, he rushed towards her with his hand hovering over his water skin, but something abruptly stopped him. His eyes found that his foot had been trapped in a jagged ridge of ice that she had quickly formed from the ground. Before he could break free, he was brutally knocked backwards by another wave of firmly-packed snow that she hurled at him. The copper tang of his blood mingled with the taste of snow in his mouth as he tried to stand back up. His breath formed ragged clouds as it met the cold air, his hand once again wavering over the water skin. The girl stared him down where she stood, her arms poised to strike once more at a moment's notice. Pale grey held bright blue for a second, and then he immediately began to form another water whip the instant he saw her arm rise.

Then, the whip he tried to manipulate lost its form and splashed onto the snow. He looked down to discover that his hand was held firmly at his side by a tendril of water. He saw that another whip of water had caught the girl's wrist, suspending her arm in mid-air. His gaze followed the whip's source, and there was Katara, both of her hands raised in the air and encircled in water as she detained both him and the girl.

Her gaze went from Tahno and then to Korra before she looked back at the crowd of students behind her. "Who started this?" Even at her old age, her angry voice incited dread into the class.

The students were silent, but most of their eyes strayed over to the girl. Katara's own eyes then fell onto her prodigy. "Korra, is this true?"

Tahno was surprised when the girl didn't look away from her waterbending master. She said nothing, but the guilt on her face was unmistakable. Katara closed her eyes and opened them slowly, as if she were in deep thought, and Tahno felt the water whip uncoiling from his wrist. The girl's arm fell limply back to her side after the old woman released her.

"Apologize."

The girl's head flinched at her teacher's words, and the fire blazed alive again in her blue eyes.

"Korra, apologize now." The old woman repeated, raising her voice to her student.

"Why should I?" She defiantly snapped. Tahno felt the heat of her accusing glare when her eyes shifted from Katara to him. "Don't talk to me EVER again or I'll hit you EVEN HARDER!"

"_KORRA_!"

She ignored her master's shout and whirled around, stomping across the snow and ice. Katara only watched her, and when the girl was gone, Tahno saw the old woman sigh heavily. She looked back once more to one of the older students in the class and firmly ordered, "Get everyone started on warm-ups."

The student nodded and led the group away from Tahno and the old woman. He looked away when Katara approached him. "Sit down."

He didn't argue and did as she told him, taking a seat in the snow. The waterbending master maneuvered the water from her pouch and it glowed azure as it wrapped around her mitted hands. He felt the cooling touch of the healing water against his skin when she placed it against his bruised cheek. He still tasted blood, but the pain of his injury began to lessen gradually.

"Words cut deep, Tahno, and you can never take them back." Unlike with Korra, she didn't raise her voice. But even as he concentrated on the blue light that the healing water casted on the snow, he felt the old woman's eyes on him as she spoke. "I don't know what you said to Korra, but I know it was enough to upset her. If you talk to her or any of my other students like that again, you're out of my classes. Do you understand?"

He responded with a simple nod, and silence passed between student and teacher for the remainder of the morning. That night, he thought of the girl again like he had done countless times before. Her face appeared again, and for the first time Tahno wasn't proud of besting an opponent. True, she had punched him, but what he said to her wounded the girl profoundly more than any physical attack. That realization encumbered him during practice and now it remained with him as he laid under the sheets of his bed. He was tired, but he couldn't sleep if he tried. _She_ kept him awake, those stupid blue eyes kept him from being able to sleep.

She was hurt. She was too damned stubborn to cry in front of him and the class, but she was _hurt_. And knowing that he was responsible made him wish that she _did_ hit him harder.

Tahno didn't see her for the next few days. His eyes would involuntarily scan the horizon, and when he didn't find her, he would curse himself for even trying. His pride wouldn't allow him to ask the other students about the girl, and he refused to raise any questions to the waterbending master. Even if the village was small, he saw no hint of the familiar ponytail or the dark blue coat.

When he was sure he wouldn't see her again, he found her on the fourth day.

Without being completely aware of it, his feet had taken him to the edge of the coast where he had first seen her. He was almost surprised to find her there, too, but he didn't show it. She was sitting there at the water's edge with her polar bear dog huddled up next to her. Her hand stopped idly petting the creature's head when she heard him approaching. Instead of the reproachful glare he had expected, her eyes were downcast as she regarded him hesitantly, "Oh...hey."

Remembering she had screamed at him to never speak to her, he decided to stay quiet partially out of spite. Truthfully though, he wasn't sure _what _to say to her. The ocean waters lapping calmly against the icy shore was the only sound that was heard over the otherwise awkward silence. A part of him thought he should've just turned and walked away, but something kept him rooted to there to the snow. By the way she was slightly fidgeting, and by the way her eyes kept glancing back from the water and to him, Tahno guessed that the girl wasn't certain how to react either.

He was about to say something, but she interrupted with, if he listened very closely, a poorly structured attempt at speaking. "_Isyourfaceallright?_"

He blinked at the unintelligible words. "...what?"

She took a deep breath and exhaled out of frustration. "Is your face all right?"

She still mumbled, but he understood her this time. Her voice didn't have any contempt in it when she asked about his injury. The girl sitting in front of him sounded and appeared...different than the one who struck him a few days ago. He couldn't find a hint of anger in her despondent eyes. The right hand that formed the fist that hit him squarely in his jaw was now absentmindedly rubbing her left arm. Looking at how dejected she was, Tahno couldn't find it in him to make her feel even worse.

Sighing, he surprised her by taking a seat next to her at the water's edge. He even saw the polar bear dog's head quizzically lift up from its massive paws. "Master Katara healed it when you left."

Her eyes appeared even more downcast and her small shoulders slumped over, and he realized he unintentionally reminded her of how she left him bleeding in the snow after the waterbending master broke up the fight. If he could, he would've kicked himself. "It's fine."

"Honestly?" She couldn't meet his eyes, but her voice sounded slightly hopeful.

"Yeah...it'd take a lot more than your wimpy punch to take me down, little girl."

Her slumped shoulders became upright again, and her striking blue eyes glared daggers at him. He grinned at her, feeling better now that she looked more like the headstrong girl he was used to. "Something I said?"

"I just wanted to know if you were okay, you jerk!" She shouted at him over the pants of her polar bear dog and the gentle ocean waves.

He didn't mean to, but he laughed. Before she could yell at him again, he put his hands up in a mock surrender and said, "Really, it's fine. There's not even a bruise."

His reassurance tempered her, and she looked concerned once more. "Really?"

"See for yourself." He was silent then as she drew nearer, her tanned face inches away from his own as her chin tilted upward. As she looked for any traces of a bruise on his pale cheek, her blue eyes reflected the dying light of the sunset.

He saw those eyes of hers widen before the snow hit her face and sent her staggering slightly backwards. Tahno laughed when she wiped the remnants of the snowball that he had hastily made while she searched for his nonexistent injury. She scowled indignantly at him, the white snow still clinging around the collar of her coat and in the long strands of her hair.

"Now we're even." He casually affirmed. "So stop dwelling on it."

He knew that his words affected her because the features of her face suddenly relaxed and the scowl turned into a good-natured grin. "Fine." Her pet sniffed at her, and its pink tongue brushed against her cheek as it licked the snow out of her hair. "Naga, stop that!" The girl laughed, trying to fend off the creature.

"Does she usually clean you?"

She chuckled, her bangs sloppily plastered against her cheek. "Only when she feels like it." As she scratched the creature's ears, the girl appeared reflective. "You know, you were right."

He scoffed, leaning against the back of his hands. "You need to be more specific. I'm right about a lot of things."

Korra pouted at him before replying, "When you said that I didn't have many friends...you were right. Naga's really the only friend I have here." The creature whined at her master's remark, but the girl was quick to reassure her. "And there's nothing wrong with that!" The polar bear dog was placated when Korra began scratching her other ear.

Tahno knew that it wasn't the girl's intention, but he felt guilty upon remembering how he goaded her into fighting him. But rather than admit it, he asked, "So why don't you just hang out with anyone?"

"Because I'm usually away from the village for a while. When I get back, it's kind of strange to try to talk to everyone. It's not that I don't want to, it's just...well, I guess it's weird because they don't know me."

"The other students said you've been gone for months before you showed up last week. Where were you?"

The girl looked away from him and replied softly, "I can't say."

Her genuinely apologetic tone kept him from pushing the subject. He decided that he would bring up the topic for another day when the girl abruptly asked, "Wait, you were asking the class about me?"

Her question caught him off guard, but he tried to throw her off by shrugging nonchalantly. "I was bored. You're the only person who's remotely interesting around here."

She raised a quizzical brow at him. "You think I'm interesting?"

"Interesting _enough_."

For some reason, Tahno felt like smiling when the girl laughed cheerfully at his response. "Let me ask another question: why do you want to train with Master Katara so much?"

"To get stronger, obviously." He stated simply. "Don't you train with her for the same reason?"

The girl almost looked bashful when she agreed. "Yeah, I guess. Okay then, _why _do you want to be stronger?"

He flashed her a cocksure smile through his wavy bangs. "So I can get whatever I want."

She gawked at him incredulously, as if she wasn't sure how to respond to his blatant honesty. "Don't look at me like that," he softly chided. "Back in Republic City, you get what you want by being the strongest. You can't count on anyone else but yourself."

"What about your parents? Can't they help you?"

"I don't want to talk about them." The same awkward silence from earlier returned. He sounded harsher than he meant, but the girl almost recoiled at the coldness in his voice. He was admittedly disheartened when he thought that the conversation would end there, so hearing her speak again was a relief, even if what she had to say stunned him.

"I want to be stronger so I can save everyone."

The words hung in the cold air momentarily before Tahno broke into laughter. The girl's cheeks were infused with red, her eyes staring furiously at him. "I'm serious! What's so funny?"

Tahno didn't doubt for a second that she _was_ being serious, but it didn't make the notion any less amusing. He composed himself, his sides slightly aching from laughing so hard. "Because, you silly girl, you _can't_ save everyone. It's impossible."

"I have to try!"

He knew that his grin only infuriated her more. "Oh? And why's that?"

She looked at him, a quiet solemnity maturing her features. The girl suddenly appeared older, even when she brought her legs against her chest and hugged them with her sleeved arms. Resting her head on top of her knees, she stared out at the seemingly endless waters that stretched out before them. "Because I don't have a choice."

Her answer was almost cryptic, and despite the absurdity of it, Tahno didn't laugh this time. He only observed her in silence, his mind trying to fathom the girl that sat next to him. In the span of one evening, she had shown him more about herself than he thought there initially was. What was humorous was that Tahno knew that _she_ didn't realize she had given that much away of herself to him, a boy she barely knew.

She was an oddity, but he didn't mind, and now she was looking at him with a small smile on her lips. "While you're here, let's both get stronger."

He didn't know what she meant by that. His confusion must have been easy for her to see because her smile widened and her eyes lit up. "I got to go now, and you should, too. It gets pretty cold at night."

She stood up, not bothering to elaborate. Without even asking, she grabbed his hand and pulled him easily to his feet. "C'mon, I'll give you a lift back."

"On what?" He asked cautiously, earning another lighthearted laugh.

"On Naga, of course!" The beast rose to its paws at the mention of her name. She stood slightly above Tahno, and after examining how lanky she actually was from this close, he deduced that the creature was still growing. The realization did nothing to soothe his uneasiness.

"I'm not riding that thing." He tried to pull away from the girl, but her grip tightened around his hand almost reassuringly.

"Naga is the most reliable polar bear dog in the South Pole!" She beamed, effortlessly pulling Tahno closer to the beast. She was deceptively strong, he thought, as she released his hand and clambered onto the saddle. Like after they first met, she was looking down at him, but this time she was encouraging him with a kind smile and an outstretched hand. "Let's go."

He stared at her gloved hand in silence, and ignoring the dull screaming of doubt in the back of his head, he took her hand and she easily helped him onto the saddle. Before he could take a minute to steady himself, the girl had already given the command. "Go, Naga!"

The beast was off, and Tahno's arms instinctively wrapped around the girl's small waist for balance. If she was amused or surprised by this sudden reaction, Korra didn't show it. She simply held onto the reins and directed the polar bear dog towards the village. As they rode through the thick snow, her dark brown hair would occasionally brush his cheek as the wind wove through the thick strands. She smelled like ice, air, and something sweet that he couldn't identify, and even though it was freezing, her back was warm against his chest. He was more embarrassed by her sudden closeness, and less by the fact that he was holding onto someone younger than him for fear of falling off a moving polar bear dog.

In spite of all that, he didn't hate the ride as much as he thought he would. He was even reluctant to see her leave when she dropped him off at the inn. Her scent still stayed with him when he went to bed that night, and it remained well into the early morning when a series of knocked pounded against his door. When he opened it, he found Korra waiting impatiently for him and commanding him to get dressed. He wasn't awake enough to wonder _how_ she was able to convince the innkeeper to tell her which room was his. To keep her from yelling, he threw on whatever clothes were in his reach. When he opened the door again, Korra yanked him away from the comfort of his room and to the front door of the inn. Tahno was sure it must have been funny for the innkeeper and his wife to see a 14-year-old boy being forcefully taken out into the cold by a small girl, but he was too tired to be indignant. It wasn't until the chill of the wind woke him completely that he wrenched his hand away from Korra's grasp.

"Why the hell would you wake me two hours before my class?" He crossly questioned her.

With a mischievous smile, she answered, "Because you're not in that one anymore."

Ever since that morning, Tahno was Korra's classmate and occasional sparring partner. He never thanked her, but they both knew that he didn't have to.


	3. Warmth

**Author's Notes:** Again, thanks for the all the reviews and alerts, everyone! This chapter was easier to write compared to the first two, so I hope you enjoy it. Like always, let me know what you think with a review!

On a side note: GET HERE SOONER, SATURDAY!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Legend of Korra _or its wonderful characters. Although I used to have a dog that *kind of* looked like Naga...

**Chapter 3: Warmth**

Under the glare of the midday sun, Tahno's pale grey eyes watched the sailboat as it deliberately headed towards a foreboding chain of jagged icebergs. "Is it really so boring up here that you try to get yourselves killed for fun?" He asked half-sarcastically.

"Hey, lay off!" Korra shouted indignantly. "It's a rite of passage for us."

"It's a rite of passage to dash your brains against some iceberg?"

She huffed at him and he could see that she was sorely tempted to push him into the water. "It's called ice dodging, and every tribe member does it on their fourteenth birthday. Their dad takes them out on a boat, and then they have to navigate it through the ice without any help from him."

Sure enough, the vessel choppily weaved through the icebergs, the sails attached to the mast billowing like dark blue clouds while the distant commands of the crew onboard shouted over the waves. He had an educated guess as to what would transpire should the tribe member fail, so he asked, "What happens after they make it?"

"Their dad uses cuttlefish ink to paint a mark on their face. The mark is supposed to represent the strongest virtue that their dad notices during the test. My grandpa gave Dad the Mark of the Brave." She declared proudly.

He mulled the explanation of the ritual over before joking, "So since you're five, your dad will take you ice dodging nine years from now?"

The smile turned into an irritated pout, and he pretended not to feel the dull pain of her fist when she punched his arm. "I'm _twelve_, pretty boy." When they both watched the sailboat dodge the final treacherous iceberg, the girl spoke again. "Actually, I guess I won't be after tomorrow morning."

He turned away from the sailboat to find an excited smile on her lips, and it dawned quickly on him. "It'll be your birthday?"

"Yep! I'll be thirteen!" He was confused when he saw her bright smile quickly dim into a more bashful expression. "That's why I wanted to know if you were busy tomorrow night."

It was funny that Korra was even asking about his schedule; she knew the gist of it already. Every morning for the past two weeks, they both trained under Katara's guidance. Even after their classes, he spent the rest of the day mostly with her walking outside the village or just sparring for the hell of it until they said good-bye in the evening. Her uncharacteristic coyness convinced him to think twice about teasing her, so he humored the girl. "I'm not. Why?"

"Because I was wondering if you wanted to come to my house..."

When he didn't say anything, her eyes looked to his anxiously. "I-it's nothing special! Mom just cooks dinner, and then there's a couple presents to open...I mean, presents for me not you...but still, I thought that you'd like to come over anyway because Mom makes the best five-flavor soup and even if dinner ended up being boring, I thought that maybe you'd at least like to eat with us and..."

She trailed off again, and her eyes tore away from him to concentrate on a stray iceberg, her shoulders slumped over and her knees drawn up to her chest. Korra looked like she wanted nothing more than the ice to break beneath her so she can fall into the frigid waters below. He almost didn't believe it, but she was actually_ blushing_. He's seen her face turn red before, but this was different. The light pink that invaded her dark cheeks now wasn't out of anger or frustration. Her hands were even worrying at her hair, her fingers pulling at the strands of her ponytail almost nervously.

It was an amusing sight, but at the same time he found her to be inexplicably cute right then. His hand suddenly reached towards her ponytail and he gently tugged it, pulling her face toward his own. The air was so still that he could have sworn he heard her heartbeat quicken. Her widened blue eyes were now fixated on his devilish grin. "Why Korra, are you asking me out on a date?" He drawled the question lazily, quietly enjoying the reaction the last word set off in her. Her hand yanked her hair away from his hold, and his grin only broadened when the light pink deepened into scarlet.

"_It's not a date!_"

"Then why are you blushing?"

"I'm NOT blushing!" She turned away, putting her hand against her cheek in a futile attempt to hide her face from his. "Well, are you gonna go or not?"

It was best for him to stop teasing her then, he knew. "I'll go."

The tension in her posture disappeared, and she was looking back at him with a smile beaming on her animated face. "That's that, then!" She was her usual upbeat self once more, jumping onto her feet and brushing the white powder that clung to her pants. "I need to go back to tell Mom now." Without warning, she jumped from the edge of the iceberg they were sitting on. Her hands moved swiftly to form a board of ice upon the water, and she landed on it flawlessly. "I'll race you back to shore!"

He followed suit, creating his own ice board to chase after Korra, who was already speeding away. "Get the lead out!" She tauntingly yelled at him over her shoulder. As her ice board sped faster across the waves, the wind carried her laughter back to him. He no longer felt the frigid ice that held his feet securely onto the board he created, or the bite of the wind against his skin. The water was an azure haze as he bent his knees slightly and lowered his head, attempting to decrease the wind resistance. The shift in movement was effective, and he was hopeful when his ice board considerably sped up, but it wasn't enough to close the gap between them. Korra had the upper hand here; these South Pole waters were second nature to her.

Had it been with anyone else, winning would have been his highest priority. In this case, it was just a silly race initiated by an even sillier girl. Even when she taunted him after he reached the shore, he wasn't as annoyed as he normally would have been.

After all, tomorrow _was_ her birthday.

* * *

Her home was unassuming enough. The ice walls of the igloo stood solidly against the chill of the evening wind, and faint light pooled from the upper windows. The enticing scent of cooking food wafted outside, making his stomach quietly grumble, but he strayed outside. He wouldn't have admitted it to Korra, but Tahno was nervous. It wasn't a case of being unable to talk with grown-ups. He was rather adept at lying to adults back home. A few sweet words and feigned smiles were more than enough to get what he wanted, and he never had to face any consequences afterward.

The grown-ups inside in that igloo weren't some idiotic adults from Republic City he could take advantage of, though- they were Korra's parents. They raised the girl who was his sparring partner and the only person in the village who he talked to regularly. For a second, he wondered if Korra or Master Katara told them about the day they fought in front of the entire waterbending class. Apprehension began to sink in deeper, and it was enough to almost make him forget that he was hungry.

Taking a deep breath, Tahno steeled himself and approached the simple wooden door that served as the entrance. He was about to knock, but he heard Korra's voice from the other side, and the door swung open. Her hair was arranged differently; he could still see the peak of her high ponytail, but two blue and white clips parted her straight hair in the front. It was a small change but he liked it, and seeing her hair resting against the sides of her face made something in his empty stomach flutter.

"You made it!" Her cheerful voice broke his slight stupor. Her hand yanked him inside of her home before he could even respond. When his feet felt the hard earth of the floor, he tried to steady himself as he took in his surroundings. Even though it was freezing outside, it was warm and inviting inside the main living room. Painted wooden shields and embroidered quilts sewn with the colors and insignia of the Southern Water Tribe adorned the clay walls. Small vases and other various pieces of furniture were randomly arranged away from the center of the room, where a modest wooden table stood with four plush cushions sat around its legs. On the surface were a stack of bowls and several pairs of wooden chopsticks along with a teapot and a set of matching cups. "I was setting the table before you came in." She explained almost hurriedly, slipping her hand quickly from his as she returned to her work. He felt embarrassed when she looked up at him with a bemused smile after she positioned the last bowl. "Why are you just standing in front of the door?"

"Where are your parents?" He forced himself to ask.

"Mom's finishing dinner and Dad's out somewhere." She stood up and went to him, her blue eyes looking at him worriedly. "You okay?"

He forced himself to grin casually, hoping to hide his anxiety. "I'm fine-"

"Korra!" The feminine voice that called from a side room almost made him flinch. A woman in a long navy robe appeared from behind the curtain that separated the side room. Her long dark hair was tied into two loose braids that fell well past her shoulders. From beneath the messy bangs, Tahno noticed a shade of blue similar to Korra's, but the woman's eyes were calmer. "Hello." Her voice was slightly hoarse, but it was kind as she greeted him. "You must be Tahno."

Not wanting to show that he was nervous, he bowed before her. "Yes, ma'am. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she smiled gently after she returned his bow. "I'm Senna, Korra's mother. My husband and I have heard so many things about you."

The earlier memory of falling painfully in the snow after Korra's punch emerged as he forced a cordial smile. "Is that so?"

"Yes, so we're happy that you can finally visit us. Honestly, we wanted to invite you sooner because Korra talks so much about you-"

"Moooom!" The girl interrupted between clenched teeth.

Senna only laughed at her daughter's reaction, smiling almost knowingly at Korra. "I guess we'll have to talk more over dinner. Korra, go ahead and give Tahno a tour. We'll eat when your father comes home."

"Okay." The girl gestured for Tahno to follow her out of the living room. He bowed quickly to her mother before going after Korra, who laughed when he caught up with her.

"What?" He asked, a slight edge to his voice.

Korra took note of his tone, but she only grinned. "I'm not used to seeing you like this."

He felt more nervous now than irritated. "Seeing me like _what_?"

"So..._polite_." She answered simply. "It's kind of nice in a weird way."

"We're taught manners back in the city." With a smirk, he reached towards one of her front ponytails and tugged playfully. "What about you, little girl? Did your polar bear dog teach you proper manners?"

She swatted his hand away and scowled at him. "I have manners!" The subject was dropped when they began the tour. He found the hallway to be surprisingly wide when they would occasionally stop so Korra could briefly show him the other side rooms that made up the igloo. The furniture and decor were nothing elaborate, but there was a sense of home within the walls. It didn't take long until they stopped at the last side room, and with a proud grin, the girl swung the curtain aside with an elaborate flourish of her arms. "Ta-daaaaaa! Welcome to my kingdom!"

The bedroom was small, but almost every detail of it represented Korra in some way. The bed was hastily made, the pillows thrown on their sides and the dark blue blankets only half tucked under the mattress. Worn sparring gear was scattered haphazardly across the ground. A quilt sewn with Southern Water Tribe patterns decorated one wall, and an intimidating spear rested against another. A small dresser stood to the side with a few clothes hanging from the edge of half-open drawers. To the other side was a plain wooden desk; a lantern and a wooden figure skillfully carved in the semblance of a polar bear dog rested on the surface. Old newspaper clippings hung on the wall above the desk, and when Tahno examined them, he noticed that the photos in the articles were familiar.

"You like Pro-bending?"

"Yeah!" Korra answered enthusiastically. "Whenever we get newspapers, I like to follow it, especially when the tournament comes around!" She grabbed the white brush that was on her dresser and spontaneously jumped on her bed. "Ladies and gents, are you ready for another thrilling night of Republic City's finest sport?" She spoke into the end of the brush, attempting her best impression of the broadcaster, Shiro Shinobi. "Who will be the first to fall into the drink tonight, folks? Will it be the long-reigning champs, the Black Quarry Boarcupines? Or will the fierce Red Sands Rabaroos take the glory?"

The impression wasn't at all accurate, but he chuckled. She leapt off the mattress and tossed the brush against the blanket. "I've always wanted to go to a game one day. I heard that the arena is _huge_, and it's all lit-up!"

"They do light it up. Every night." He informed her, taking a seat at the edge of her bed.

Korra's eyes widened in childlike amazement, making her look younger than her thirteen years. "You've seen it?"

Nostalgia overtook him as he spoke, remembering the first time he saw how the arena shone like a beacon against the night skies of the city. "It's hard to miss. When it's dark, you can see it for miles. It looks like it's made of gold from a distance."

She looked like she was about to ask him a slew of questions, but her attention quickly shifted when the door from the living room creaked open and shut. When she heard the sound of heavy footsteps, Korra took Tahno's hand and pulled him back to his feet. "Dad's home!"

He couldn't stop the girl from letting his hand go. Even though she was younger, and although he would _never_ admit it, Korra was too strong for her own damn good. She finally dropped his hand when they reached the living room, where they saw a man carrying a large bundle of firewood. "Korra, that you?" The deep voice asked from behind the heap that he carried in his arms.

"Yeah, Dad," she answered quickly and hurried over to him. Standing on the tips of her toes, she grabbed the logs that rested on top of the pile. As Korra took the firewood and began placing it in a stack set aside next to the door, the man became visible. Korra's father had a strong jaw line, and his brown hair was pulled slightly back save for his long sideburns. A thick, fur-trimmed coat covered his broad shoulders, and a distinctive tribal emblem rested on the fabric over his chest. The sharp blue eyes regarded him somewhat warily, and suddenly Tahno thought that the man before him was really a saber-tooth moose lion wearing a Water Tribe coat, waiting to spot the first sign of weakness, and in spite of his nervousness, Tahno was determined not to crack. He was prouder than that.

"I'm gone for a couple of hours and you start bringing random boys home?" The man shook his head at his daughter, who had just finished putting the last piece of firewood away. "When did you stop being our little girl?"

"_Dad_!" Korra yelled at the man, pouting. "I'm not little anymore! His name is Tahno, and he's not some random boy." At the mention of his name, Tahno mentally shook off his anxiety and bowed.

"Hello, sir," he courteously greeted. When his back straightened again, he could see a wide smile on the man's face as he approached him. Korra's father returned his gesture, but he quickly took Tahno's hand in a firm handshake afterward. Tahno did his best not to wince when the man's solid grip clutched his fingers like a vice. He suddenly knew where Korra may have inherited her almost inhuman strength.

"Call me Tonraq." To Tahno's relief, the man's gruff words were more of a request than a demand. "Good to meet you after everything Korra's told us." Because that was the second time he heard that, Tahno was beginning to wonder what the girl _did_ tell her parents about him.

"I thought I heard you come in, dear." Senna's face appeared from behind the curtain to the kitchen. Her eyes went from her husband to her daughter. "Korra, help me bring the food to the table."

Korra diligently trailed after her mother into the kitchen, and the tall man's eyes followed his family as they left the room. After they were gone, he produced a parcel wrapped in twine and cloth from his thick coat and hid it in a large clay vase nearby. He glanced over at Tahno with a smile. "Best not to say anything to her. If she knows there are sweet rolls, she won't eat her dinner. Senna wouldn't be happy with me."

Tahno was still as Korra's father took a seat at the table. He slipped off his mitts and poured tea into two of the cups. When he gestured to the boy to join him, Tahno sat cross-legged on the cushion across from Tonraq, who placed one of the cups in front of him. Steam rose from the tea in lazy wisps as he brought the cup to his lips to drink.

"So, Korra told us that you two fought shortly after you met."

It took all of his willpower not to spit his tea out, but he couldn't stop himself from coughing. Tahno tried desperately to clear his throat after slamming the cup down onto the table. He frantically wracked his brain for what he should say, but Tonraq's deep laughs distracted him.

"No need to panic." He reassured Tahno, who wasn't exactly convinced as he wiped the tea from his lips with the sleeve of his coat. "She even said that she threw the first punch-"

"I made her do it."

Tonraq looked somewhat surprised at his immediate admission of guilt, but Tahno didn't care. He was used to other people taking the blame for his actions before, but he didn't want that to happen to Korra. He bowed his head over his tea, his eyes focusing on the curling fingers of steam that floated from his drink. "I said something to set her off."

For a few agonizing seconds, there was silence. Tahno was mentally preparing himself to face the full brunt of Tonraq's parental rage, but when he raised his head, the man was pouring more tea into his cup. After placing the kettle back down, Tonraq spoke solemnly, but not unkindly. "It takes a man to admit when he's wrong." There was no resentment in his hardened blue eyes, no mockery in his smile. "I thank you for being honest."

He was stunned by the man's words of gratitude, and for once in a long while, Tahno didn't know what to say to an adult.

"Actually, both my wife and I wanted to thank you for something else. Before she met you, Korra hated getting up early in the morning for training."

"That's because mornings are _evil_, Dad," the girl interrupted, entering the room with a pot of hot soup. "What are you saying about me?" She accused the man, who simply held up his hands defensively.

"Nothing too incriminating." He smiled at his daughter. Korra stared suspiciously at her father over the steaming soup she set down on the table. She took a seat next to Tahno, who decided to strategically stay out of the battle between father and daughter.

"Nothing incriminating, huh? What about _embarrassing_?" She challenged her father.

"Embarrassing, hmm? Give me a few minutes and I think I can come up with something." Tonraq lifted his tea cup for another drink, but when he looked down, he paused. He chuckled and looked bemusedly at his daughter, his hand turning the cup over only to have nothing pour out. "You didn't have to do that, Korra."

"I don't know _how_ your tea became frozen just now, Dad." The girl stated sweetly. "Maybe you left the door open too long."

"That's enough, you two. We have company." Senna overruled them both, balancing a few plates of steaming food on her arms before placing them around the pot of hot soup.

Tonraq and Korra settled on a truce, and their little feud was soon forgotten when they began eating. After Tahno took his helping, he watched with morbid fascination as Korra began shoveling food into her mouth. Apparently, this was somewhat normal since her parents ate unfazed by their daughter's ravenous appetite. Although he didn't eat with as much vigor as his young hostess, Tahno ate more than he usually did. Korra wasn't lying when she claimed her mother's five-flavor soup was the best in the village. The innkeeper's food was decent, but Senna's cooking was on a whole different level. As he sat there eating his meal of soup, fire-roasted fish, and homemade seaweed noodles, he listened to the lighthearted back-and-forth between Korra and her parents. The dinner was the noisiest he's ever had, but he enjoyed it more than he thought he would. After he said good-bye to Korra's parents, he said that much to the girl as she walked him back to the inn.

"We're a noisy bunch, especially when I'm around." She admitted with a grin. "But I'm glad you had fun."

"I didn't have a present for you, though." A slight pang of guilt ran through him, much like the one he felt when he watched Korra unwrap the sweet rolls her father had picked up for her and the pale jade brooch that her mother gave her afterward.

"Hey, I kind of asked you to come last minute. I'm just happy that you could eat with us."

The smile on her face was guileless, and the half moon threw its pale glow against the dark of her hair. In contrast to the starkness of the white snow around them, her round eyes were bluer than anything he had ever seen. Without really thinking, his arm stretched out over her shoulders and drew her close. He felt her body stiffen when her head made contact with his chest, but he held onto her. He kept both of them walking because he knew if he stopped, Korra would've stumbled from shock.

"W-what are you doing?" She asked, flustered.

"It's cold out here." He answered plainly, pretending not to notice how red Korra's cheeks had turned.

"_You're_ the one with the thinner jacket, idiot! I don't need you to-"

"I'll make up for it."

Her words were caught in her throat as she stared confusedly up at him. "What do you mean?"

"For your birthday. I'll make up for it by taking you to the Pro-bending Arena." Korra fell quiet at his promise, but her body relaxed against his while he led them through the snow. Eventually he felt her arms slowly wrap around him in response, and he tried to ignore how fast his heart was beating.

"I'd like that." Her voice was unusually soft. She said nothing else, even when he pressed her closer against his side. Her arms just held onto his waist tighter, and they continued the rest of their walk in silence.

He should know better, he told himself before he went to bed later that night. He should know that what he was doing-what he was feeling-wasn't going to make his trip back to Republic City any less difficult. He tried to ease his restlessness with the comfort of knowing he'd say good-bye on _his_ terms. She was going to be sad when he left, and he knew she wouldn't hide it either, but he meant what he said. He was going to take Korra to the Arena one day, and though he had nothing against Tonraq and Senna, parental consent wasn't a determining factor in his decision.

He was convinced that he was in control, and then _they_ showed up. Tahno didn't know who the strangers were, but their names didn't matter. All he knew was that they intended to take Korra away from the village.

That was enough for him to hate them.


	4. What Was Unsaid

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Legend of Korra _or its characters.

**Chapter 4: What Was Unsaid**

He saw Korra's eyes widen when she saw the strangers walking toward Katara's home. There were four of them, their long indigo capes catching in the wind. As they walked in tandem with one another, he was disconcerted with how they closely resembled trained soldiers.

"Who are they?" He asked. The girl simply returned to her warm-up drills.

"Some guys I see every now and then." She responded casually, but Tahno noticed the choppiness of her movements as she extracted water from the snow. After training with her for a month, it wasn't difficult to notice that her stance was off. Waterbending was all about fluidity; the circular movements of Korra's arms were choppy and her feet shifted rigidly through the snow.

Unsure of how to interpret her answer, he was silent as he went through the motions with her. Neither him nor Korra spared a glance when the footsteps stopped behind them.

"Korra, it's time to leave." A man's voice spoke. The girl he acknowledged didn't turn back.

"I'm busy." Korra answered brusquely, manipulating the water to circle around her.

"You need to go back home to pack-"

"Are you deaf? She said we're busy right now." Tahno turned to face the speaker. Upon closer inspection, Tahno saw that his long robes matched his cowl, which was imprinted with a distinctive white insignia.

The man's stern gaze shifted from the girl to Tahno. "Stand aside, kid. This isn't any of your business."

Tahno matched the man's hostility with an arrogant smirk. "And what kind of business do you have taking girls away from Water Tribe villages?"

The robed man clenched his teeth, but then let out an exasperated sigh before addressing the girl again. "It's been long enough already. You have to get back to your training."

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She retorted as her hands guided the ribbon of water fluidly through the air.

"You _know_ what I mean."

When Korra simply continued her warm-ups, the robed man walked towards her with determined steps. His arm began to reach towards the girl, but a thick wave of snow suddenly lunged at him from the ground and knocked him forcefully on his back. As his partners moved quickly to his side to help him, the man shot Tahno an angry glare from underneath his lopsided cowl.

"I don't like being ignored." The fourteen-year-old waterbender remarked, the corner of his lips curled in a sneer. "You shouldn't make that mistake again."

When he was back on his feet, the robed man made a beeline towards him. Tahno's hands were ready to bend the snow once more, but his concentration broke when the back of Korra's jacket and high ponytail came into view. She had stepped in front of him with her fists at her sides, as if she was guarding him.

"Stop." There was a beseeching tone hidden beneath her brisk demand. The man paused before rubbing his temples wearily.

"We get that you have reasons you want to stay here," he began, throwing an accusatory glance over her shoulder to Tahno, "but you have to come with us. You know that."

"And you know well enough that you can't force Korra to do anything." Katara's calm voice spoke over the tense stand-off between the girl and the robed man. Even now, her countenance was calm as she bowed politely towards the group of indigo cloaks. "Welcome, friends."

Recognition flashed across the leader's face before he and the rest of the group bowed before the old woman. "Master Katara, it's good to see you again." The man rose and immediately pointed a gloved finger at Korra and Tahno. "Please, talk some sense into your student-"

"You all must be tired from the trip. Let me get you some tea back at my home."

"We didn't come here for tea, we came here for-"

"I'm well aware of who you came here for." Katara stated evenly, and the robed man was silent. For a second, Tahno was reminded of the time when the master broke up the fight between Korra and him. The old woman didn't need to raise her voice back then either to command attention from her entire class. She turned her attention towards the children. "You two take a break today. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

None of the cloaked strangers spoke. Even the leader was motionless, save for the glare he directed towards Tahno. The boy would've been more than happy to go, but he was waiting for a sign from Korra, who stood motionless. He couldn't read her face since her back was to him, but Katara confirmed his speculations.

"Korra, it's fine. Go on, now."

The girl hesitated a moment longer before turning and walking away. Tahno followed closely beside her, feeling the strangers' collective gaze burning on their backs as they left. It wasn't until the village was in sight that he felt it was safe to ask, "Are you going to tell me who they are now?"

"I can't." She answered sullenly.

He scoffed. "Oh, so I guess they were just some random people in matching uniforms who wanted you to leave with them for no good reason?"

"Stop asking about them."

"Then stop lying to me." He snapped, his already-worn patience slipping.

"I'm not!" She protested. Korra had stopped, and she was finally facing him. "They made me promise not to say anything!"

"They want to take you away from your home, and you won't even tell me who they are?" The anger he felt was rising with each passing second. He had never been one to lose his temper easily, but her refusal to give him a straight answer was infuriating. "

She sounded pained when she repeated the words he didn't want to hear: "I _can't_."

"Whatever. Go with them for all I care." He didn't mask the contempt in his voice, and he moved to turn away from her.

He didn't make it farther than a few steps once he felt the small hand enclose his wrist. It tugged at him with a sense of urgency, and he wanted to shake her grip off. But when he glanced over his shoulder, he found her blue eyes staring pleadingly at him from her dejected face.

"I'm sorry." The words were soft, but he heard them clearly over the howling wind that kicked the snow from around their feet. He knew she wanted to say more, but she stopped herself. He felt her hand leave his wrist and fall to her side, her eyes looking away from him. He should've taken some sort of pleasure from how guilty she looked, but he didn't.

He was still for a moment before reaching for her right-side ponytail and promptly yanking it. She yelped in pain, and her eyes flashed irately at him.

"That's what you get." He chided her, his fingers momentarily gripping the soft, dark brown strands before letting them go. He attempted to appear nonchalant as she smoothed out her rumpled hair while glaring indignantly at him. "Now, come on. It's freezing and I'm bored."

When he started to walk away, he became worried when he never heard the string of curses or felt the inevitable wave of snow charge against him like he expected. It wasn't until he heard her boots crunching against the snow that he felt relieved. Of course, he was still angry at her, but for now Korra could keep her little secrets if she felt she had to.

As she caught up to him, he thought about how the insignia on the stranger's mantle resembled a white flower.

* * *

She would be back, she promised before leaving with her father. Just moments ago, they were having dinner with her parents before a group of three people interrupted: a heavy, bearded man flanked by a tall man and a thin woman, both of whom had their hair severely tied back. All three wore uniforms of indigo and white, and matching cloaks flowed down their backs. There were no cowls pulled over their heads, but Tahno noticed the same subtle traces of a flower petal design embroidered on the white mantles that hung over their shoulders and chests.

When they saw him sitting at the table with her family, they all looked at him warily, like he was someone that didn't belong. Of course, he returned their looks with all the smugness he could muster, but unease sunk in when the bearded man addressed Korra. Apparently, he was unhappy that she didn't leave with the group of sentries that showed up a few mornings ago. Korra, being her typical self, shot back at the man with a flurry of heated words, but before the exchange could get worse, Tonraq intervened.

So now, Tahno was watching Korra walk away from her family's igloo. Her father escorting her to Katara's home was a comfort, but they were outnumbered. He knew that the strangers meant no harm to the girl, but knowing that they intended to succeed where the other group failed was bad enough. Katara was able to convince the other group to let her stay in the village, but Tahno wasn't sure if she'd be able to sway their superiors.

Naga shared his apprehension. Her low whines sounded in his ears as her round black eyes followed Korra's diminishing figure. His hand absentmindedly began petting the polar bear dog's elongated snout.

"Don't be stupid," he reproached the creature. "Tonraq went with her. She'll be back."

The dog responded with a low whimper, and in spite of himself, Tahno's hand went from her snout to the back of her ear. His fingers scratched the thick fur like he had seen Korra done several times before, until he heard Senna's voice call from the igloo.

"Tahno, you still haven't finished your dinner."

"I'm fine." The answer was courteous enough, but he knew Senna wasn't convinced when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He found an encouraging smile when he turned to face her.

"Please come in. I'd hate this food to go to waste."

Tahno lingered outside with Naga for a minute longer before going back into Korra's home. The polar bear dog licked his cheek as he left, its broad pink tongue covering his skin in saliva from the contact. He grimaced and wiped his cheek with the sleeve of his coat while Senna laughed at the sight.

"I think she's really warmed up to you." She lightheartedly remarked as she shut the door. Tahno said nothing and returned to his seat at the table. He began to pick at some charred fish with his chopsticks, trying to ignore the half-eaten bowl of rice in front of the empty space next to him. When he remembered how much Korra was looking forward to the stewed sea prunes her mother had made tonight, the fish tasted bland in his mouth when he chewed it.

"I'll have to save some of the sea prunes for Korra." Senna commented after reaching for one of small purple fruits. "You have them in Republic City?"

Tahno placed his chopsticks down across the rim of his bowl. He didn't think he would be able to eat more. "Yes. There are a couple of restaurants that sell Water Tribe cuisine."

"That's good to know that people don't have to travel all the way to the South Pole to try our food then." After she spoke, the woman took a sip of her tea before changing subjects. "You're angry with us, aren't you?"

Tahno stared blankly at her. Her tone wasn't accusatory, but he couldn't help but feel like he should be on the defensive against the woman who sat across from him.

"You're angry at Tonraq and me." She clarified, folding her hands upon the surface of the table. "For letting Korra go."

Rather than answer her, he deflected Senna's question with one of his own. "Why _do_ you let her go with those...people? She's your only child, isn't she?"

Senna's gaze was calm over the cooling dishes of the forgotten dinner. "She is. You must think it's strange for us to let our daughter go away for months at a time." Her lips formed a sad smile that sent a twinge of shame through him. "It's hard for us. There are some days when I forget that she's not sleeping in her room."

"She can if you just told her to stay."

She chuckled lightly. "No matter how much we miss her when she's gone, she needs to make her own decisions. I'm sure your own parents understood that when you chose to come to the South Pole by yourself."

"My parents have never cared where I am." The words were bitter, but he stop himself from speaking them.

Senna was taken aback by the caustic response, and for a moment he reveled in her reaction before he saw the genuine look of remorse on her face. "I'm sorry."

He didn't acknowledge her apology. "I didn't need anyone's permission to come here. I can take care of myself."

"You're right." Senna took another stewed plum before adding, "You remind me of Korra; you're both strong."

His grey eyes went to the empty space next to him, and he found himself wishing that the girl was there stuffing her face with stewed sea prunes and fish.

There was a few seconds of quiet before Senna brought him back from his thoughts. "I miss her as much as a mother could miss her child. But what's most important to my husband and me is that our daughter is happy. That's all there is to it."

He looked at her again, arching a thin brow. "What makes her happy?"

She smiled at him. "That's something you'd have to ask Korra yourself."

* * *

It was typical that he found her at the water's edge where they had first met. After a day of searching for her in every secret place that her polar bear dog had taken them, he didn't know why he hadn't looked here first.

He made no effort to soften the sound of his footsteps upon the snow and ice as he approached-he was livid with her. He woke up this morning to discover a visibly worried Katara and the robed bearded man waiting at the front desk to tell him that his waterbending classmate was gone. According to her parents, Korra wasn't in her bed when they went to wake her. Tonraq had already ventured towards the port a few miles outside of the village to search for her. Senna decided to stay at the house in case Korra would return. Tahno didn't particularly like adults, but when he thought of how Senna looked when she said she missed her daughter when Korra was gone from the village, he felt sorry for them.

To make matters worse, Naga was being uncooperative with the search efforts for Korra. Even when Tahno approached the polar bear dog, the creature merely rested her large head on her massive paws. Despite being the girl's guardian of sorts, it was like Naga knew her owner didn't want to be found.

So then it was up to him. His anger at Korra warmed him despite the numbness that took over his feet from hours of walking through the snow. On top of worrying grown-ups who genuinely cared about her, she took off without so much as a word to him. No amount of remorsefulness on her end was going to stop him from yelling.

Her back was to him as she faced the endless stretch of ocean. Her shoulders were slumped, and for some reason, he noticed that they were trembling slightly. "How about the next time you run away, you at least leave a damn note?" When her head turned to his direction, the string of insults that he had articulated during his search died in his throat.

The tear tracks dried long ago and left stains on her cheeks, but her skin was still raw and puffy. The edges of her eyes were red and something faint still glistened in them, reflecting the dying light of the evening.

"I didn't run away." She responded, her voice raspy and strained.

"Leaving your home without telling anyone _is_ running away," he snapped, struggling once again to retain his anger towards her. "Tell me, little girl-what are you afraid of?"

"I'm NOT afraid of anything."

He wouldn't believe her. "It's those guys in the robes, isn't it? Instead of running away, why don't you just tell them to leave you alone?"

"_I didn't run away_!" An abrupt crack sounded loudly, followed by the crumbling of a small iceberg that floated nearby. His eyes watched the structure sink into the water and then they settled on her. Strands of her brown hair had come loose from the bands she wore, her eyes blazing underneath her tousled bangs. She was standing upright with her fists tight and locked at her sides, like she was prepared for a fight. Her words echoed in the air before fainting into nothingness. Her chest heaved from her deep breaths as she glared at him defiantly, challenging him to accuse her of being a runaway again.

After weight the words carefully in his head, he forced himself to speak evenly, "If you won't tell me who those people are, then tell me why you weren't home today."

"Because I don't know what to do, all right?" She shouted back, her fists swiping downwards through the air in frustration. The water suddenly rose behind her, swelling alarmingly high. As the waves unnaturally cut across the otherwise calm surface of the water, crystalline flakes tumbled noiselessly through the encroaching darkness. Korra fell to her knees, her fists unclenching as her fingers clasped tightly at the freshly fallen snow underneath her palms.

"I used to be sure." She muttered softly. "I'd go with them without even thinking twice because I _wanted_ to leave. But then I came back for my birthday and I met..."

Even in her current state, her cheeks were infused with a shade of red, and she didn't speak anymore. The waters had calmed, consistently splashing against the ice. Newly-formed tears fell onto the blue cloth of her coat, her small shoulders quivering with the sobs she tried unsuccessfully to stifle. Tahno watched her-this sad, confused girl-cry in the snow and even if he had wanted to, he wouldn't have been able to take his eyes off of her.

_What makes her happy?_

_ That's something you'd have to ask Korra yourself_.

He approached her with sure, even steps and knelt down in front of her. When she looked up, her eyes regarded him confusedly before they went to his hand, which he had placed on top of hers. He didn't wait for her to say anything; he simply pulled her up to her feet, his hand still enclosing her own.

"We're going." He told her.

Her eyes stared, a startled shade of vivid blue across the white snow that fell between them. "I don't want to go back home."

"We're not going back to your house." He turned away and led her away from the water's edge. Tahno was slightly shocked, but relieved, that she didn't resist. The sunlight had bled away completely from the night sky as the settlement came into view, and he had hitched up the collar of his coat against the wind that would occasionally pick up. When her sniffles had died down, the warmth of her fingers entwining his own reassured him that she was still there, that she wouldn't disappear again. He fought the impulse to look behind him until they reached the inn and his hand slipped reluctantly from hers. She was still there, her cheeks and nose red from the cold and her hair tangled with snow. She looked exhausted, her blue eyes blinking wearily in the glow of the light that shone from the inn's window.

He sighed, taking her hand again and pulling her inside the structure. The innkeeper looked up from his records at the front desk, but Tahno didn't acknowledge the man as he guided Korra from the front desk and down the hallway. After taking a key out of his pocket, he unlocked the door to his room. He gestured Korra in, who took a reluctant first step as he stood behind her. Tahno watched her look around the simple trappings, silently musing that this may be the first time the girl had ever been in a boy's room. Had he been less tired, he would've found the situation funny.

"Wait here." Before Korra could ask where he was going, he shut the door and went back to the front desk. The innkeeper was still there, and Tahno knew what the older man had wanted to ask, but he didn't give him the chance.

"Do you have any leftovers?"

The innkeeper regarded him cautiously before answering, "You know her father and those people are still looking for her, right?"

"They can keep looking for her, then. She can't go home right now."

The man cast the boy a knowing look before leaving the front desk. His eyes watched the front door for any sign of Tonraq or the familiar indigo cloaks until the innkeeper returned several minutes later. On the tray he brought were a plate of roasted arctic hen skewers, two large bowls of seaweed noodles, and a pair of cups filled to the brim with hot tea. Tahno muttered his thanks, took the tray with both of his hands, and went back to his room. He balanced the heavy tray with one arm and turned the knob to the door, and when he opened it she was sitting at the edge of his bed. He was hoping that the smell of dinner would catch her attention, but she didn't even look up when he approached with the clinking tray of food and silverware.

"Eat." He set the tray next to her. Korra's gaze lifted from the floor to him, and he still saw the trace of red against the edges of her eyes.

"I'm not really hungry."

"You haven't eaten anything yet, have you?" He inquired briskly, and the guilt on her face confirmed his suspicion. "Don't starve yourself, you little idiot."

She bristled at the insult, and he regretted allowing the fatigue from a day-long search affect how harsh his words sounded. "Just...eat something, okay? Please." It wasn't a word he uttered often, and they both knew it. When she finally picked up one of the arctic hen skewers from the tray, he felt a weight lift off his chest.

Taking one of the skewers himself, he walked over to the desk where his portable radio stood. He turned the device on, and among the crackle of static, the familiar voice of the pro-bending announcer resonated through the speaker. The skewer must have helped her appetite because when he sat on the opposite side of the tray, Korra was starting on the seaweed noodles. He took the other bowl and began immediately eating, the scent of the food spurring his own appetite after a day spent in the snow without so much as breakfast.

From the corner of his eye, he watched her staring at the radio with mild interest over her dinner. "Who's playing?" She asked while chewing a mouthful of noodles.

"Boarcupines and Platypus Bears." He answered after recognizing a couple of names from each opposing team. Korra was silent except for the sound of her slurping noodles with assistance from her chopsticks. To his amusement, her attention grew as the match progressed. She winced at the announcement of each opposing hit, and each counterattack resulted in an excited grin. Soon enough her bowl was empty and set aside, and the pile of arctic hen skewers was reduced to bare wooden sticks on the platter they arrived on. She was sitting at the edge of the bed, her hands clenched on her lap as she hung on every word the Pro-bending announcer spoke. When the Boarcupines were declared the winners of the match, she whooped as she leapt onto her feet and pumped her hands in the air.

"Can you believe they won _again_?" She asked him, as if he wasn't in the room to hear the entire match.

He grinned and answered, "There's a reason they're likely to become the longest-reigning champs in pro-bending."

A broad smile broke onto her lips, and the sight of it was comforting to him. " It'd be amazing to see the Boarcupines play at the Arena. I wish I could've been there!"

"Then come back with me."

The smile disappeared from her face and she gaped at him. After airing an advertisement for some brand of instant noodles, a soft song began to play from the radio. He stood up from the bed and took a few steps towards her, offering his hand . An interlude of piano chords gently struck through the static when she finally took his hand, the feeling of her bare skin against his palm sending a light jolt through his arm.

He drew her closer to him, placing his hands on her hips and smirking when she jumped from the contact. "Never danced before?"

"Not with stuck-up pretty boys," she shot back defensively. Her hands settled stiffly onto his shoulders, keeping him at an arm's length away.

He had to laugh at the awkward movement and the embarrassed look on her reddening face. "Put your arms around my neck. _Gently_." He added when she held on a little too tight for his comfort.

"Sorry." She sheepishly apologized, and she relaxed her arms around his shoulders and neck. He was reminded of how a fast learner she was when she adjusted her steps to match in time to his and to the rhythm of the song. The piano notes gave way to the long, almost mournful croons of a few brass instruments as they danced around the room. He thought to himself how little her waist was as he guided her slowly through the dance. Her bangs moved gently against her face with each step they took, and he fought back the impulse to tuck them behind her ear. In the dim light of the lantern in his room, she looked up at him with those bright blue eyes, and he was reminded of something he knew each day that she was around him.

Korra was pretty.

"Did you really mean what you said?" She asked over the crescendo of soft piano keys and the light crash of cymbals. Her feet kept up with his, but she wasn't looking at him. "About going back with you?"

"Maybe."

Her head leaned against his chest. "What about Naga?"

"I can find space for her."

"What about my parents and Master Katara?"

"They can visit."

The song faded back into static, but they didn't part. Her hands pulled him closer, and his arms held her back, draping around her in an embrace.

"I'm happy that I met you." She spoke over the faint jingle of another advertisement from the speakers.

He said nothing as he rested his chin on her head. The strands of her hair were soft against his skin as another song began to play and they continued to dance.

After she left, the room felt even emptier than usual. He almost told her to stay, but it would've been useless. As impulsive as Korra's actions were today, her family lingered at the back of her mind, no matter how reluctant she was to leave.

She stayed in his thoughts when he struggled to sleep. His mind was filled with her: how vulnerable she was when she cried in front of him for the first time, how loudly she ate her food when she was engrossed in a pro-bending match, how warm she felt against him when they danced.

How big her eyes got when he told her to come back to Republic City with him.

_Did you really mean what you said?_

He knew the answer, and it unsettled him.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **This chapter was tough for me to write. I actually intended to make it longer, but I felt that it was right to end it where I did. As much as I want to develop the story, I don't want to rush anything.

Thank you all so much for all the reviews, alerts, and awesomeness. It's really nice to know that people actually enjoy reading this story. I plan on continuing it, regardless of how things pan out with the show (I'm still hopeful Tahno will come back)! On a related note, I will have to prepare for all the feels I will undoubtedly experience this Saturday. I'm sure I won't be the only one.


	5. Ache

**Chapter 5: Ache**

The letter rested on top of the rumpled envelope it was delivered in. The edges were slightly smudged with ink, the words hastily written but direct nonetheless. The ship was arriving at the end of next week. And of course, the ship was arriving at the _wrong _port in the _wrong_ village like it had when he arrived in the South Pole three months ago.

Really though, the ship's destination wasn't what was keeping him awake.

He thought of her the night after she had struck him. When he thought of her then, he remembered how anger-at Korra and himself-prevented him from sleeping that night. Now, when he recalled the details of her expressive face and the bright blue of her eyes, all he could think about was how much he wanted to see her when he woke up. He wanted to see her smile, wanted to hear her laughter, wanted to see the blush creep into her cheeks when he reached for her hand.

When he thought of her now, he felt _longing_. It bothered him.

He rolled over on his side, wrapping the blankets tighter around him. He tried to forget about her long enough to go to sleep.

Tahno cursed into the dark when he failed.

* * *

"Korra, run ahead and tell your mother that we'll be home soon."

After nodding at her father's request, Korra nudged him in the shoulder. "Race you!"

He was ready to sprint off, but Tonraq's large hand firmly settled on his shoulder before Tahno could accept the girl's challenge.

"Sorry, Korra," her father said. "I need Tahno to help me carry the firewood."

He wasn't even given a chance to decline. Tonraq had already taken a bundle of firewood from the sled that carried a month's worth of provisions and unceremoniously dumped it into his arms. Some of the logs almost tipped onto the snow haphazardly as Tahno adjusted his grip on the lower half of the stack.

Korra raised a quizzical brow, but her father reassured her with a smile.

"Go on and tell your mother. She'll want to get dinner started soon."

The girl's eyes went from her father and then to Tahno, but she didn't question Tonraq. She turned and ran ahead.

When he felt his daughter was out of earshot, Tonraq asked, "When's your birthday?"

Tahno didn't know what spurred the older man to suddenly inquire about the subject, but he answered, "I'll be fifteen in the spring."

"Practically a full man grown. Korra's not far behind you." Tonraq commented with a grin. "You know, girls in our tribe are of marrying age when they're sixteen."

He nearly dropped the firewood, and Tonraq's deep laughter resounded in his ears as he recovered his footing. "Why are you telling me that?" Tahno shot at him.

The grin softened into a good-natured smile. "I'm just making conversation. Besides, I don't think I'd be ready to see my daughter married three years from here." Korra was already gone, but Tonraq's eyes focused on the trail of footsteps she left in the packed snow. "I doubt many fathers are ever ready for that day."

He wasn't sure why he didn't let the matter die, but the question left his lips before he could stop it. "What kind of man would you want to see her with?"

The look of surprise on Tonraq's broad face was genuine, but it was fleeting as he mulled the question over. Tahno was somewhat comforted that the man was actually thinking about an answer instead of laughing his question off. "Korra has to make her own choices." He replied solemnly, almost echoing Senna's response from a past conversation. "She's always been sure of what she wanted, and I would think the same applies to the man she'd marry."

Tahno was beginning to think that the man's answer was somewhat unsatisfying, but then Tonraq continued.

"Even so, I'd _like_ to see her with a man who makes her happy." With a shrug of his wide shoulders, Tonraq added half-jokingly, "Seeing her with someone who keeps her grounded would be nice, too. You know how bad her temper gets."

Tahno grinned weakly at the last comment, and they were silent save for the sounds of their boots crunching against the snow. He didn't expect what Tonraq said next.

"You've been wanting to tell her something."

He stopped in the snow, peering over the stack of firewood he carried to see Tonraq's knowing blue eyes.

"You always look like there's something you want to say to her, but you don't." His tone wasn't accusatory, but it was somber. "Why is that?"

Tahno never confided in an adult, and now wasn't an exception.

"Sorry, but you're mistaken." He didn't leave any room for discussion, and he walked past the older man with his shoulders and back straight. After a few moments, he heard Tonraq's heavy footsteps behind him over the skimming of the sled's rails upon the snow. He was grateful when he didn't bring up the subject again.

He wondered if Tonraq would be half as well-meaning if he really knew what Tahno wanted to ask his daughter.

* * *

The crumbled paper was soft in his fingers whenever he picked it up. He didn't know why he re-read the inked words over and over-the message never changed.

In six days the ship would be docking in the port that the captain mentioned. Tahno knew he would be on it, but no matter how hard he tried, it was difficult to imagine Korra with him. Whenever he tried to visualize her boarding the ship, he couldn't picture her face. It made his head hurt.

He hated feeling this way.

* * *

Naga's fur tickled the back of his neck, but it was only a minor nuisance. He still hadn't grown completely accustomed to the arctic chill, so he appreciated the polar bear dog's warmth.

He particularly appreciated the warmth of the girl sitting next to him, bundled up in her winter coat.

"Isn't it amazing?" She asked, admiring the flicker of the aurora above them.

He silently agreed when he looked to watch iridescent waves of color sway with an ethereal grace as they unfurled across the night sky. But even then, his thoughts went back to the opened letter on his desk.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?" He looked away from the aurora to find her staring at him.

"You didn't eat much at dinner. Are you okay?"

He crossed one leg over the other, adjusting his head against Naga's side. "I'm fine. I just didn't have much of an appetite tonight."

"Oh...is it because you miss the food in Republic City?"

His fingers involuntarily tensed up, but his lips slipped into a grin. "Food's food. It's not like I'll never eat there again."

"I was just asking." She said with a pout. "I'd miss my mom's cooking if I were away from home."

_Ask her._

"There's this place in Republic City called Narook's. It has some decent Water Tribe food."

Of course, he caught her attention with the mention of food. "Do they have stewed sea prunes?"

_Ask her._

"Yeah. It even has blubbered seal jerky."

The smile on her face almost beamed as bright as the solar light display above their heads. "I want to go there then! You have to take me!"

"Now you're giving me orders?"

"Fine." She suddenly stood up and, taking both edges of her coat with her hands, and fell into an exaggerated curtsy. With a high-pitched, embellished accent, she requested, "Please take me to the fine eating establishment you mentioned, kind sir."

_Ask her, damn you_.

"No one talks like that in the city." He said with a chuckle.

She looked up at him, and the mischievous smile disappeared from her face. She knelt in front of him, her brow knitted above her worried gaze. "Are you really all right?"

_No_.

"I'm _fine_." He sounded harsher than he intended, but that didn't deter her. She startled him when her hands went to his cheeks, firmly keeping his face on an even level with hers.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked irritably. Her hands were callused, but they were still soft against his skin.

"Don't feel like you ever have to lie to me, okay?" Her voice was soft above the lull of the waves. He was taken aback by how her words almost sounded like a plea, and it was a knife that sank slowly into his chest.

_Ask her now._

"You're being stupid." He wanted to turn away, but her hands kept him in place, forcing him to look at her. Her blue eyes reflected her concern and doubt, and he feared he was becoming as awful of a liar as she was.

"Promise?"

The knife twisted.

He closed and opened his eyes, his shoulders heaving with an exasperated sigh. "I promise. Now stop looking at me like that!"

Before she could answer, his fingers were already tickling her ribcage. She fell over on her side, trying to curl up in a ball to protect herself, but it was no use. Even her noble polar bear dog didn't so much as lift a paw to rescue the girl. Naga watched them with disinterest before closing her round black eyes and falling into a nap. The girl could do nothing but roll helplessly against the ground, her body wracking with uncontrolled laughter.

"Y-y-you're such a jerk!" She exclaimed through ragged gasps and snorts.

His grin widened as he continued his relentless assault. "Always be on your guard, little girl."

To his bad luck, Korra managed to slip from his grasp and began her counterattack by tickling his sides. Before too long, he was rolling on the snow himself trying to fend her off, the laughter that erupted from his lips sounding strange to his ears. His feet kicked up the snow and he lifted his hands to block her, but she was too fast. She grinned at his attempts, her eyes gleaming with laughter as the aurora threw its glow against her hair.

He couldn't remember another time when he enjoyed playing in the snow so much.

He heard the dull thump of her back against the ground when she threw herself beside him after exacting her revenge. When he was sure she wasn't looking, he turned his head sideways, the ground's surface cold against his cheek. Her hair was tousled beneath her, her eyes watching the celestial lights above them. She didn't say anything when his fingers interlaced with hers-she just smiled in response. The snow underneath them shone faintly with the colors of the aurora, and the world around them was afire with the same brilliant shades of blue, green, and gold.

He held her hand tightly as he tried to ignore the voice in the back of his head.

_Coward._

* * *

When he did fall asleep, he only managed for a couple hours before he found himself awake again. He didn't bother trying to get more rest, so he spend those hours either staring at the ceiling of his room or going to his desk to re-examine the captain's letter. He had nothing but shadows and his thoughts to keep him company until he felt he was ready to venture out into the morning...until he felt he was ready to face _her_.

It was becoming more exhausting to pretend he had it together.

One morning when he was pacing across the floor of his room, his eyes fell on the date that the letter was penned. He realized that the ship would be docking in four days.

His headache worsened.

* * *

"I'm going with them."

A stab went through him, cold and biting. It pierced his chest and spread from there, numbing him to his fingers. Her voice was surprisingly even when she spoke. She stood right in front of him, searching his countenance for any sign, any reaction. She was waiting for him to say something-maybe she wanted him to say _anything_-but he didn't know what she wanted to hear.

_ Really, what were you expecting? _The question resounded in his head with deafening clarity.

"I'm going with them." She repeated when he didn't answer her.

_You were supposed to come back with me_. The numbness receded, and something hot stirred inside him.

"I don't want to go with them...I _really_ don't, but I have to."

_Stop making excuses_.

"There's something I have to do."

After she spoke the words with a sense of finality, he vaguely recalled when they had danced together by the dim lamplight of his room, her head against his chest as they moved in time with the soft chords of a slow song. He angrily pushed the image out of his head, and with it, any idiotic hopes he ever had of Korra coming back to Republic City with him.

A storm raged through his mind, but he wasn't going to show her that. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

"But you know, we can still talk, even if we can't see each other."

_No._

"I want to write to you." She continued, her lips attempting a hopeful smile.

_I don't want that_.

"And I can still even visit you in Republic City someday!"

_I won't let you_.

"Do you think you can still find space for Naga when we come see you?"

She was startled when he heard the low laugh that crept past his lips. "You really thought I was being serious?"

The girl gaped at him, like he had just told an offsetting joke. "You...weren't?"

He laughed again, slipping on a smirk as he did. "Of course not. There's no way my landlord would allow me to keep a polar bear dog in my apartment."

"So then why did you even tell me to go back with you to Republic City?" The question was tinged with confusion.

He shrugged, the grin ever constant on his lips. "Because I felt sorry for you."

The unblinking blue eyes stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

"When I found you after you ran away, you were crying," he explained matter-of-factly. "I mean, it was kind of pathetic, but I stillfelt bad for you."

He watched her as her whole body seemed to tense up as she stood immobile in the snow. He was reminded of how she appeared before she had punched him after they met, of how hurt and small she looked. But again, he pushed the memory away; he couldn't stop now.

"You were still upset even after I brought you back to the inn."

_That's right._

"I didn't want you to get all weepy again, so I _had_ to say something."

_You deserve this_.

"I don't believe you." Her voice was sharp with vindication. "You meant it. I know you did."

He scoffed and crossed his arms languidly, as if he were looking down on a child who was throwing a tantrum. "Little girl," as he called her that, he enjoyed how the nickname-the same one he would tease her with-made her bristle. "You'll believe anything, won't you?"

_You can't hurt me..._

"You misunderstood me all this time, so don't misunderstand me now. I hung out with you all this time in this boring little village for one reason."

_...unless I hurt you first._

"You were interesting enough."

He had to hand it to her: she never once broke eye contact with him as she moved with uncanny speed. Even now, with her left hand clutched the collar of his jacket and her right was balled up in a tight fist, her white teeth clenched in a firm line, she held his gaze, her eyes mirroring her intent. He own hands tightened against his sides, anticipating the inevitable strike against his jaw, but to his surprise and maybe even to hers, Korra's grip loosened. He was free, her hand falling against her hip, but it still remained clutched. It took everything he had to look back at her eyes, bluer even now with unshed tears, with disinterest.

"You're awful." Her words were heavy with the sob she choked back, and she turned on her heel and left him. She didn't even throw a backwards glance.

That night he turned on his radio to drown out his thoughts. When the familiar piano chords of a song stirred memories of the night they had danced, he grabbed the device and threw it as hard as he could against the wall of his room. The singer's voice warbled weakly from the speakers after the radio fell onto the ground in a broken heap.

He wasn't surprised when he didn't feel any better.

* * *

The cold that initially whipped against his clothes had sunk deep underneath his skin, and now he was sure that its frigid touch would continue to slowly fill his veins until he froze from the inside out.

There was no world as far as he could see as he laid there in the snow. He had moved little since he had fallen...how long was it since then? He couldn't even remember. He could barely recall that moment when he realized the guide he had hired from the village was gone from their camp. Neither of them expected the blizzard, which struck suddenly and swiftly through the night and continued through the day. In actuality, he wasn't sure if it had become nightfall again.

All he knew was obscured in a storm of snow.

Any energy he previously had trekking across the tundra was exhausted. He had lost all sensation in his fingers, and he was scarcely aware that he had feet as the blizzard raged on. With each passing moment, the snow that piled on him began to feel like a blanket, the ice below him a cool pillow. His breaths came shallow and slow now, his heartbeat a faint drum over the mournful lullaby of the howling winds. His eyes grew heavy as he watched the snow fall against the grey stretch of sky.

He knew he was dying, but he was strangely apathetic to it. All he wanted now was to sleep. As the world of grey and white faded from his vision, round blue eyes appeared in his thoughts. Against the hum of the arctic gale, he swore he could almost hear her voice.

The thick blanket of snow suddenly left him, and the ground was becoming further away. Everything was a blur of dark sky and snow as his feet dragged through the snow. He felt weightless until he landed on something large and solid. A hand was on the small of his back, keeping him steady on whatever he was on, and he could hear muffled words of reassurance. He wanted to tell whoever it was that he was fine, that he was just sleeping, but he couldn't find his voice.

He numbly felt each movement, each step that the thing he was riding on took as it trudged through the endless blizzard. He wasn't certain how much time had passed, but eventually the mournful wails of the wind died down. The world of grey and white was gone, replaced by walls of black. It was dark wherever he was, but there was snow or ice here.

The same pair of hands from earlier had set him against something soft. His head rested on what felt like a soft pillow, which seemed like it was breathing. Someone was by his side speaking to him, but he couldn't see their face.

A burst of flame ignited in the pitch black, and he suddenly saw a pair of familiar blue eyes gazing at him. Her face was weary, but concern was etched in her fine features. Her brown hair had come slightly loose from the clips after hours of whipping through the wind, and when she spoke, her voice cracked. "You jerk," she addressed him, and he thought she might have started crying, "Do you have any _idea_ how worried I was?"

He couldn't speak. Instead, his eyes went from hers and to the fire that danced gently between them. The pile of kindle he expected to find wasn't there; he saw only her small hands cradling the base. The initial fear that she was somehow on fire gave way to understanding when he realized she wasn't in any pain.

Her eyes followed his stare to the trail of crimson flame that she held in her palms. "I wanted to tell you...I wanted to tell you so badly..."

Her fingers emanated warmth from the fire that she willed to life. He tried to lift his hand up to her eyes, but the sensation hadn't fully returned back to his fingers. He laid limply against the polar bear dog that carried him through the blizzard as he watched her cry.

He felt so damned useless.

"I'm sorry, Tahno." Her cheeks were wet from the tears she had tried to hold back. He wanted to tell her to stop crying, but Korra and the flame-lit cave disappeared, and everything became black.

* * *

He woke up to find a heap of thick blankets piled on top of him. When his eyes focused, a clay ceiling adorned with Water Tribe trappings hung over him. He turned his head to see his waterbending master sitting near a crackling fire.

"How are you feeling?"

Tahno answered with a groan as he tried to sit up from the heap of animal pelts that cushioned him from the bamboo floor of Katara's house. He fought back every urge to curl back up into the blankets, but he forced his rigid arms to prop himself up.

Katara dipped a ladle in the pot that boiled over the fire pit and spooned the contents into a bowl. She handed it gingerly to Tahno, who took it and brought the bowl to his lips. He could barely taste the soup, but the broth felt good running down his throat.

Katara was pouring steaming tea into a cup when he set the empty bowl on the ground. "How long have I been out?" He asked, his voice hoarse from fatigue and disuse.

"A few days now." She answered as she passed the cup to him. "You've been fighting a slight fever. I'm glad to see that you're doing better."

He felt mocked by her smile, and he averted his eyes away from the old woman to scan his surroundings. Something twisted inside of his chest when he noticed the absence of the girl who brought him here. The tea was bitter on his tongue when the memory of her blue eyes staring over the flame she summoned in her hands broke through the haze that pervaded his mind.

"Korra left this morning." Katara's even voice broke over his thoughts. "She stayed as long as she could before she had to leave for the compound."

"You're not bothering to lie about where she's going this time?" He acidly inquired.

The old woman didn't shrink back from his hostility, but her gaze suddenly looked apologetic. "I understand that you're angry with us."

"You _understand?_" He threw back at her, slamming the cup on the ground. "You, her parents, the whole village...I'm sure it was funny keeping the outsider in the dark."

"It wasn't funny at all." She responded firmly.

He let out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, but wasn't it? I guess I can't blame everyone though, huh? Keeping the Avatar's identity a secret must be a huge responsibility, after all." Now when he thought of Tonraq's jovial laughter or Senna's gentle smile, he felt betrayed.

"It so happens to be just that...a responsibility." The old woman's stern words bit into him sharper than the winds of the blizzard that almost killed him. "And no one felt the weight of that responsibility more than Korra did."

He fell silent at the mention of her name for a few seconds, his fingers running against the grain of the blanket that rested on top of his knees. "It can't be so bad for the Avatar. She can always use her responsibility as a convenient excuse to go wherever and whenever she wants."

"Responsibility isn't an excuse, Tahno. You would be able to see that if you weren't so angry with Korra."

"Why would I be angry?" He asked contemptuously. "It was _her_ decision not to trust me with her big secret."

"It wasn't an issue of trust." Katara answered sadly, her eyes never faltering as she looked at him.

"It had to have been. Why else would she keep it from me?"

She was silent for a moment as she took the cup from his side and refilled it with more tea. "Would you feel better hearing the answer from me or Korra herself?"

Heat rose in the back of his neck when he couldn't answer the waterbending master, who produced a folded piece of paper from her coat and set it beside him. On the paper was his name scribbled in messy handwriting. The teacher offered no explanation about its contents or the author, but he didn't need either.

"As soon as she heard you were missing, she took off on Naga before anyone could stop her. She spent hours in that storm looking for you."

He said nothing, stubbornly trying to convince himself the old woman was lying.

"It was difficult to even get her to eat anything. She wanted to see if you would wake up."

His eyes lifted from the letter and to his teacher. "It doesn't matter. She left all the same."

He didn't bother to catch Katara's reaction. He turned away and pulled the blankets over him. They both knew then that talking more about the matter would have been pointless.

He heard the old woman stand up and walk toward the door of her hut. As she opened it, he resentfully asked, "Aren't you afraid that I'll tell the world where they can find their precious Avatar?"

He felt Katara's eyes hovering over him before she answered, "We both know that you wouldn't."

He hated how there wasn't a trace of doubt in her words.

"I'm going to check up on your guide. I'll be back shortly."

He heard the creak of the door before it shut soundly, and Tahno rose again from his makeshift bed. He held the letter that Katara had given him, musing to himself how sloppy Korra's scribbles were. The unopened paper lingered a little while between his fingers, unopened, until he took it in both his hands and ripped it in half. He balled both pieces up and chucked them without hesitation into the fire. The flames licked hungrily at the letter, and he watched the paper as it reduced to nothing but ashes.

It would be easier his way, he told himself, and once he was back in Republic City, he wouldn't have to see Katara, Tonraq and Senna, or Korra-especially _Korra_-ever again. His life would be normal once more.

On the day he finally boarded the ship, he wanted to believe that he wouldn't miss her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** FINALLY! I'm sorry it took me longer than usual to update, but I did it! I was busy trying to cope with the emptiness that is my life now that Season 1 is over.

Like always, I want to thank everyone for the reviews and alerts, and I especially want to thank those who have also left consistent reviews with each update. To put it plainly, you guys rock and your support helps me keep going. If I could, I'd bake cookies for all of you and we'd have a tea party where we talk about Tahno and Korra _all the freaking time_. Wouldn't that just be grand?

On a side note, I'll be starting another AU story with Tahno and Korra, so keep an eye out! After that finale, I have way too many feels that I must channel through my computer. Really though, THAT FINALE.


	6. Hello Again

**Chapter 6: Hello Again**

"Say, what do you think the Avatar's like?"

His lips paused from the porcelain skin of her neck, his pale grey eyes indifferently lifting to hers. "What?"

Her ruby-painted lips pursed together, as if she were agitated that he didn't hear her. "The _Avatar_. Everyone was talking about him at dinner."

_Her_. "What about the _Uh-_vatar?" His annoyance with bringing up a subject from a conversation that had long since transpired earlier in the evening was absent from his smooth, languid voice.

"Where do you think he is?"

"You want to talk about _that_ now?" He asked teasingly before nibbling on her neck, eliciting a high-pitched giggle.

"Maybe," she responded. "Well, where do you think he is?"

"_She_."

The woman's thin eyebrows rose. "What makes you think the Avatar's a woman?"

He shrugged his shoulders while trailing his fingertips along her bare arms. "A hunch."

"I wonder how old she'd be by now..." She continued before smiling. "Everyone would be in a tizzy if the Avatar ever came here, don't you think?"

He remembered when he had made a promise to a Water Tribe girl on her thirteenth birthday. Although he knew she was ignorant of it, his date for the evening was unfortunately stirring up memories he would rather keep away. He cut off the woman from prattling on by pressing his lips against hers in a deep kiss, and he knew he succeeded when she looked up at him with half-lidded eyes glazed over with longing.

"I'm sure Republic City would welcome the new Avatar with open arms...but I couldn't care less about that."

As his body became entangled in hers, the Avatar wasn't mentioned again that night.

* * *

He was rarely on time for anything, and that included practice. His teammates never seemed to mind, and today was no different. Under the glow of the brilliantly lit Pro-bending Arena, Shaozu waved and Ming greeted him with a grin as he walked over to them from the car. Even though it was still early evening, the arena was still a beacon of brilliant gold against the orange and indigo backdrop of the setting sun.

"How good of you to show up, Captain." The older earthbender said without a trace of resentment in his tone.

"Yeah, you're only late by thirty minutes this time! A new record, Tahno." Shaozu joked with an lopsided smile.

"Just be glad I'm here, boys," Tahno answered. "Had a late night, after all."

Shaozu scoffed. "Who was it this time? The brunette from last week? What was her name?"

The smirk that was characteristic of the White Falls Wolfbats Captain appeared on his thin lips. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell, Shaozu. Maybe you'll understand that when you're all grown up."

"Yeah, because you're a _real_ gentleman," the firebender shot back half-jokingly, but he stopped in mid-sentence. "What's going on over there?"

Up ahead, they spotted the old gym manager Toza pushing out a figure clad in dark blue. Tahno couldn't get a good view from where he was, but it was very apparent they were both arguing. The stranger's back was to him, but even from where he was he could see the vein throbbing on the side of Toza's head as he waved his brawny arms erratically at the person in front of him.

"The old man looks like he's going to have a heart attack," Ming commented casually as they drew nearer to the steps where the pair were yelling. "Wonder who has him so riled up."

"-sick and tired of you kids sneaking in without paying!" The gym manager bellowed, pointing angrily at the stranger. "You have _any _idea how much the upkeep of this place costs?"

"And _I'm_ sick and tired of you accusing me!" The voice was gruffer than most, but it was female and its pitch was high as the blue-clad figure argued with the old man. "I was looking for the stupid bathroom!"

"Another one try to slip by old Toza?" Shaozu jeered. "He might be ancient, but nothing gets by the geezer."

He saw the trail of dark brown hair that the stranger tied back in a high ponytail, and he also noticed that the dark blue overcoat, the wrap of tanned animal hide, and the baggy pants didn't hide the unmistakable curves of feminine hips. Unfortunately for the stranger, Toza's wrath would not be deterred by her gender.

"You'd better scram, missy! The next time I catch you sneaking around inside, I'll take you to security!" His iron-clad sentence in place, the gym manager turned around to go back into the arena.

"Oh yeah? W-well who said I'd be back?" She shouted at the old man's back. Just before he shut the large door behind him, she vehemently yelled, "You have AWFUL customer service skills!" The slam of the door failed to quell the buzz of gossip from witnesses and the bark of Shaozu's laughter. The stranger paid mind to either of them as she turned on her heel.

The face was less round and more oval-shaped than it had been in the past, and her emotions were etched in its features clear as day. She still wore her hair the same way since she was thirteen, but it was noticeably longer. It ran past her shoulders from the matching clips she wore, and the darkness of it caught the sheen of the arena's golden light as she moved. Blue eyes bright with anger looked straight ahead from underneath tousled bangs, her lips set in a scowl he had known so well from years ago when he had been at its receiving end. If he had been staring at her, she didn't notice; she didn't even spare a glance in his direction when she stomped past his teammates.

When she was out of sight from the arena, Shaozu felt it was safe to speak again. "A real firecracker, that one."

"Yeah, but kind of cute." Ming commented before saying jestingly to Tahno, "You must think so too, Captain."

Shaozu also noticed that Tahno's gaze was fixated in the direction that the girl had gone before she faded away into the blaze of Republic City's lights. "You know her, Tahno?"

Recovering quickly, he looked away from the city and back to the lit arena, his duffel bag hanging casually behind one shoulder. "No. Just thought she looked familiar is all."

When they were inside the arena, the girl was forgotten by his teammates, but she remained with him. The image of her, almost a fully-grown woman now, burned into his mind as he remembered her stomping past him, her eyes so concentrated on what was ahead of her that she didn't even notice him staring. He was irritated at being unnoticed, but a bigger question loomed over his thoughts: would she even recognize him now?

He wasn't sure of the answer, and it bothered him.

* * *

Tahno was patient when it came to women. The fairer sex would flock to him like moths perpetually drawn to a flame without him lifting so much as a finger. A look of interest and a confident grin would earn him the attention of even the shyest of girls.

But she _had_ to be different.

Even if he hadn't seen her in roughly four years, he made it a point not to go to the arena other than for practice or games. He was never alone; his teammates or a small flock of adoring fans would flank his sides. So whenever he did happen to see her, it was only a fleeting glance.

He wasn't sure where she lived in the city or how she even provided for herself, but she usually managed to visit the Arena at least a couple times a week. Sometimes she would walk idly along the bridge that stretched between the domed structure and the rest of the city. Other nights he would hear her laughter as she played with some of the street urchins that occasionally loitered around the front steps. And on some nights, when he was leaving after a victory or after training with Ming and Shaozu, he saw her leaning against one of the railings with her chin tilted skywards. The blues of her eyes reflected the gold of the lit dome, the wind shifting the loose bangs of her hair as she was oblivious to everything else around her.

His eyes never lingered on her too long. He didn't want to be bothered by questions either his dates or his teammates would inevitably ask if they believed he was interested in a girl he, for all they knew, had never spoken to. He didn't want to risk her recognizing him in front of his posse. No, that would be a private moment, he decided. It wasn't as if he had thought of her every day since he left the South Pole. As the days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, the pain numbed into something more tolerable until Korra became a memory that existed in a land of ice and snow that was far away from Republic City. He was content with that.

But now that she was back, she couldn't leave him alone, and the infuriating part of it was that she didn't even utter a word to him. The thirteen-year-old Water Tribe girl from his past now had a tangible form-she was practically a fully-grown woman who was now in _his_ city. Memories didn't speak, they didn't laugh and they didn't breathe: they weren't _alive_. Korra existed again and he couldn't ignore that, no matter how much he wanted to.

He had changed these past years. He wondered if _she_ had as well, and he wanted to find out.

One night, he had his opportunity. She was alone, standing against the pillar of a gazebo that faced the dark waters of Yue Bay and the peaks of the faraway mountains that rose like sentinels from outside the city's limits. For once he was unaccompanied-Shaozu took off after practice for a family errand and Ming was on a date with his arm trophy of the week. He tried to ignore the drumming inside his chest, mentally forcing out images of a girl crying in a dark cave and of a note burning in the flames of a hungry fire. Taking a collected breath, he steeled himself and took a step toward her.

"_KORRAAAAA_!"

He slinked back around the corner once he heard the masculine voice yell out her name. Peeking over the edge slightly, he saw a burly figure running towards the girl. Tahno recognized the slicked black hair and the green and grey overcoat of the earthbender from the Fire Ferrets, a rival team on the circuit. His insides knotted up when he the stupid, oafish smile on the younger boy's face when Korra welcomed him.

"Did I keep you waiting long?" The idiot asked.

With a reassuring grin, she answered, "Nope. You all right?"

"Yeah, just catching my breath. C'mon, I talked to Toza and everything! Let me give you a tour of the place!"

Her grin widened into an excited smile before she fired off a thousand questions to the earthbender as he escorted her to the Arena. The idiot's smile outmatched hers, and Tahno noticed with annoyance at how his green eyes never seemed to leave the girl. He endured the prattle long enough until it faded away, and they were both gone when he stepped out from the corner. Despite the breeze that lifted from the nearby waters, he felt heat creep up his neck. It remained even when he loosened the collar of his jacket, and his mood darkened from there.

Something was writhing restlessly in his stomach, and his chest felt tight even when he was back at his apartment. After he finally managed to fall asleep, he was fourteen years old again with his arm draped protectively around a girl's shoulders. Their breaths frosted together in the cold air as he promised her something. Her smile was bright underneath the canopy of stars, and it filled him with a warmth he couldn't describe.

The moonlit arctic night gave way to the ceiling of his bedroom when he opened his eyes. He thought irritably how her smile was still the same, even though they had both grown older. His chest tightened again when he realizes that it was the earthbending fire rat who managed to make her smile. Defeat crawled underneath his skin like a thousand little serpents, keeping him from going back to sleep.

He felt it was only natural to blame both Korra and the lovesick fool in her thrall.

* * *

"What's your deal tonight, Shaozu?" Ming casually asked over the head of the woman who leaned intimately against his chest. "You're not your spastic self."

The youngest Wolfbat didn't even have the energy to defend himself from Ming's light insult. Tahno noticed the unusually haggard look on firebender's face and the faint dark bags underneath his eyes. "There's been trouble at the docks lately. I've been helping out with the family business this entire week."

The girl underneath Tahno's right arm, a pale-skinned lady with bobbed hair, gasped audibly. The sultry brunette at his other side asked, "What kind of trouble do you mean?"

"The kind that destroys an entire inventory of silks from Ba Sing Se." Shaozu sullenly answered, combing his fingers through his styled brown hair. "Ice and glass scattered everywhere, boulders jutting out from the warehouse floors, and fire scorch marks on the merchandise that wasn't burned up!" He took a long gulp from his drink to calm himself. "Security said there was a scuffle between two gangs, but it looked like a damn war happened."

Shaozu's narrative had unsettled the group. The conversations of the other diners and the clink of silverware droned in the background as tension seized the private booth, until Tahno chuckled.

"You worry too much," he said leisurely to Shaozu. "Your family will make the money back soon enough." He lifted his hand briefly from the brunette's shoulder to signal their server for more drinks.

Shaozu looked grudgingly at his captain as their server briskly set another round of bottles and glasses on the table. "It's going to take a lot to smooth things over with our clients. My mom is expecting me to lead the negotiations this time."

"That's not surprising, seeing as how you're the heir." He commented almost uninterestedly.

"The heir of one of Republic City's leading textile companies." Ming included as his date poured more beer into his glass. "No pressure or anything."

"You guys aren't telling me anything I don't know!" Shaozu exclaimed, inciting titters from the women in their group.

"We're only teasing, Shaozu," Tahno said as if he were consoling a temperamental child. With a mocking grin, he added, "If it'll be too much for you, I'll understand if you can't make it to all our practices."

_That _did it, as he predicted. A flicker of indignation crossed Shaozu's face, and he straightened up in his seat. "Like that'll happen." He ran another hand through his hair, eyeing the cold drink that was placed in front of him earlier.

"Shaozu does have a point." The dark-haired beauty at Ming's side spoke. "The streets have been a bit wilder lately."

Ming joined in after setting his empty glass on the table. "Someone's been giving the guard the runaround in the city park, too. There's not a moment when you don't hear him blowing his stupid whistle."

Shaozu scoffed irritably. "If it's the same group of people, I hope the police catch them before they destroy my family's shops next...hey, Tahno, you see something?"

Since the firebender sat directly across from him, Shaozu noticed the moment when Tahno was no longer interested in the conversation. He followed his captain's eyes and found a familiar face sitting at a table in the general dining area. "Hey, it's her. That girl with the loud mouth."

Ming looked over where she was seated. "Huh, so it is. Who's the guy she's with?"

"The earthbender from the Fire Ferrets."

His older teammate's gaze fell back on him, astonished by his prompt answer. "The younger brother?"

"Think his name's Bolin." Shaozu grinned amusedly. "Hope he knows the girl he's dating is kind of crazy."

"They aren't dating."

It was the firebender's turn to stare at the captain. "How are you so sure?"

"Because besides a cheap meal, there's nothing he can offer her." Even though he remembered with irritation of how the idiot had made her smile a few nights past, years of practice made the vitriolic comment sound more like a casual observation. Still, he watched the Water Tribe girl's eyes stare hungrily at the bowl of seaweed noodles that a server placed in front of her. She wasted no time digging her chopsticks into the food, and as she eagerly slurped the broth-covered noodles, he had no trouble remembering how messy of an eater she had always been. The affirmation of her overly enthusiastic dining habits made the corner of his lip curl into a small smirk, which his dates had caught.

"Tahno, do you like her?" The one with the bobbed hair asked almost accusingly.

He was quick to amend the slight slip-up. "You're mistaken, sweetheart. I'm interested in _women_, not little girls."

She pursed her dark red lips together, only half-satisfied with his answer. "She's so plain-faced."

"Her hair looks like it's not combed very often." The other date added, brushing back a lock of wavy auburn hair. "And that Water Tribe get-up is outdated by a century."

"Being a little harsh, aren't we ladies?" Ming interjected lightly with a suave smile. "I think she's got some charm to her."

"I've seen worse, but a little eyeliner and lipstick wouldn't hurt." Ming's date commented, eyeing the man suspiciously. Like her, Tahno had noticed the slight interest in the earthbender's remark, but he said nothing.

He wasn't sure why, but he kept staring at her as his dates exchanged commentary about anything ranging from the girl's looks to her less-than-cultured-eating habits. And eventually, it happened-one minute she was smiling at something the fire rat sitting across her had said, and the next she caught Tahno staring at her from his booth. At first, her eyes met his quizzically before they went back to the earthbender, her hand gesturing towards the Wolfbat as if she were asking something between a mouthful of noodles. The fire rat stole a glance over his shoulder to find Tahno's glare before quickly looking away again.

The date with the bobbed hair giggled. "Looks like you've scared him!"

"Yeah, but now you have a friend." Ming observed.

Sure enough, the girl was glowering back at him from where she sat, her lips puckered together in a defiant pout. In most situations, others would have torn their eyes away, but she didn't flinch. Her eyes threw bright blue daggers underneath the dim glow of the overhead lights, and for a moment, they were the only two people in the restaurant.

He could have laughed it off with the rest of his group and ignored her, and no one would have given it a second thought. But no-the girl was issuing a challenge to him, and he couldn't let it go unanswered. His arms lifted from the shoulders of his amused dates in an outstretched gesture of his hands, and his group automatically began leaving their seats at his command. Passing the photographs of his face that were plastered on the wall, he left the booth and walked towards her with his teammates and their admirers at his back. As each step brought him closer, her eyes never faltered from his own.

She had always been brave, but now, someone had to put the Water Tribe girl in her place.

He loomed over them, a hand at his hip. Her companion, still intimidated from earlier, was busy quietly slurping his noodles.

"Well, well, well. What brings one of the illustrious Fire Ferrets here?" He cast a derisive look over the eating earthbender, whose attention didn't lift from his bowl. When the younger man didn't answer, Tahno turned his attention to the girl, who was still glaring at him from her seat.

"Didn't see you there." he teased. "Enjoying yourself?"

She observed him warily, her chopsticks laying on their rest as her noodles remained n the bowl forgotten. "I was a minute ago."

He ignored the slight barb, moving his hand on the edge of their table as he lowered his face closer to the girl. "That's a shame. I guess I can't blame you though." His gaze went back to the fire rat. "It must be disappointing since all your friend can afford for you is a measly bowl of noodles."

His group snickered at the comment, causing the earthbender to actually pause in his eating. His broad shoulders slumped slightly over while he stared despondently into his noodles.

The girl rose from her chair, the scowl on her face deepening as she tilted her chin upwards at Tahno. "Leave him alone."

He paid no mind to the threat in her words, his eyes looking back at her in amusement. "Was it something I said?"

"Apologize to him." She demanded, ignoring Shaozu's and Ming's chuckled from behind the captain.

"It's okay." Her companion timidly said over his food. His attempt to calm her down was ineffective though; the girl showed no signs of going back to her seat.

"It's not, Bolin," she protested, her eyes still on Tahno's face. "He's being an ass."

Tahno heard one of his dates gasp indignantly at the girl's insult, but his grin only widened. "Now, that's not very nice to say. Didn't they teach you any manners from whatever glacier you lived on?"

Her hands clenched against the sides of her fitted overcoat. "I may not know manners, but I _do_ know how to knock that slimy smile off your face."

"Korra, _stop_." The earthbender's tone was more urgent this time.

"Listen to your friend, _Korra_," he taunted, smirking down at her. "He may be pathetic, but he has sense."

Her eyes sparked. "Back off, you arrogant-"

"Yeah, back off." The masculine voice came from behind his group. Shoving past Ming and Shaozu, a dark-haired young man appeared before them. The end of his scarf was a trail of red against the gray of his overcoat, and he stood almost at level with Tahno himself. His amber eyes glared briefly at the Wolfbat captain before they went to the Water Tribe girl and her seated companion.

"Bolin, let's go. We need to find Hasook for a team meeting."

"Sure thing, bro." The earthbender was visibly relieved, standing up from his seat immediately after putting some yuans on the table next to his empty bowl.

"You too, Korra." He firmly said to the girl. To his annoyance, Tahno noticed how the girl's blue eyes were no longer on him, but on the man who spoke to her. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to protest, but to his surprise, she closed it and began to follow the Fire Ferrets.

Not wanting to end it there, Tahno took a step in front of her, blocking the girl from the two men. "Come find me whenever you want to settle things, little girl. I know you're just itching for a fight."

Her parted bangs hung above the bright blue glare of her eyes. "You don't know anything about me." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard her words all the same. She walked past him and through his group, heading towards the front entrance of the restaurant where the tall man and his brother waited for her.

"So she's got the Fabulous Bending Brothers as bodyguards." Ming remarked as the door closed behind the small group of three.

Shaozu laughed. "Doesn't matter. She keeps running her mouth like she did just now, she's going to get herself into some real trouble."

"Let her figure that out for herself." Tahno nonchalantly replied, gesturing his group to return to their table. "When she does, it's going to take more than those two failures to bail her out."

The drinks weren't as refreshing after they went back in their private booth, and he couldn't distract himself with the attention his two dates lavished on him throughout the rest of the evening. All he could think about was how she looked at the man with the red scarf and how all l it took was a few words for the Fire Ferret Captain to turn Korra's attention away from him.

He realized now which brother was the true threat.

* * *

He found her in the locker room, leaning over the threshold of the balcony. Her back was to him, her attention so fully absorbed in the pro-bending match in the arena below that she didn't hear him come in. He didn't need to ask who she was cheering for. The progress of the match was evident in her hand movements and exclamations.

Flashes of listening to matches broadcast over his radio with her in a small room back in the South Pole went briefly through his head.

"Nice view, isn't it?"

Her back straightened at the sound of his voice, but she didn't turn around.

"You're lucky. Toza doesn't let a lot of people in here." He continued the one-sided conversation when she still didn't move. "I once told a girl that I would bring her to this arena."

He knew he had her when her fingers tightened around the edge of the banister.

"It's been a while since then. She's probably forgotten my promise by now."

"She hasn't." She finally turned around to meet him, leaning against the balcony. She wore no overcoat this time, revealing a sleeveless light blue that conformed to the curve of her chest and that showed off her toned upper arms. "But she would've never seen this place if she waited for you to keep your promise."

"So you _do_ remember me. I'm touched." Sarcasm coated his words as they left his smiling lips.

"I should be asking if _you _remembered me." She answered, stepping away from the banister and to the row of lockers that lined the right wall of the entrance.

"How can I ever forget the famous Uh-vatar?" He walked over her with long strides, undeterred from the disapproving scowl she gave him.

"Don't call me that." She warned, folding her arms defensively.

"And why not?" He asked, enjoying how the effect his little interrogation had on the girl. "That's what you've trained for when you were hidden away in the South Pole all this time, isn't it?"

He was now at her side, looking down at her like he had a week ago during their confrontation at Narook's, and she was countering with her bright blue glare.

"So, where are your guards? Where's the pomp and circumstance? Why keep Republic City in the dark when their savior has arrived?"

"Stop asking questions, pretty boy." The familiar nickname sounded strange when he heard it again, but the anger in her voice was unmistakable.

He chuckled, intently watching her expression through the styled locks of his black hair. "Still like keeping secrets, I see."

Her eyes widened for a second at his comment before they stared back at him fiercely, her arms unfolded and her hands were raised defensively into fists. "I don't need to explain a damn thing to someone like you!"

He arched a thin eyebrow. "Someone like me?"

"Yes, _like you_." She repeated heatedly, her anger apparent in her gruff voice and in the bright depths of her eyes. "A conceited, bullying, womanizing, holier-than-thou _snob_."

Her shoulders heaved after she was finished. She _meant_ them-he knew she did. Even if he had been called much worse and even though what she said wasn't entirely untrue, he hated it when people assumed things of him. It was especially annoying in this situation: this was the first time they had a chance to speak privately, and she already had an idea in her head of what he was like.

So he felt it was only fair to not disappoint her.

She flinched when his hands slammed against both sides of her head, pinning her back against the wall. A part of him relished the round blue eyes that stared in bewilderment as the cheers from the crowd in the arena rose to the balcony in faint waves.

"It's really unfair," he started, letting the words hang between them, his head lowering to hers so that his eyes were level to hers. "You already know _so_ much about me, and I don't know much about you. You said it yourself a little while ago."

The girl didn't argue with his claim. She only glared back at him in stubborn silence.

"You get all chummy with a couple of losers you just met, but you don't even go out of your way to talk to me?" He managed to sound unattached, but his heartbeat quickened from underneath his jacket.

"Don't talk about Mako and Bolin like that!" She yelled at him, her hand clamping onto his right arm in an attempt to move it.

It took some effort on his part, but he kept his arm in place, even though he was aware it wouldn't take much more force for her to move it. "No need to get upset. This just means we have to get...reacquainted."

Her eyebrows rose into her bangs at the last word, her full lips slightly agape as if paused in mid-sentence. His eyes roamed down to admire the swell of her chest and to the arc of her waist. When his gaze went back to her face, he found alarm in her vivid eyes, which only widened more when his arm shook off her hold and his fingers clasped around the strands of one of her side ponytails.

"It's been so long, after all," he said in a voice as low voice, his ever-constant grin darkening over straight, white teeth. His fingers lifted higher through the soft strands of her hair, and for a second his knuckles lightly brushed against her cheek. "Getting to know each other might even be a little fun."

He caught the look of fierce intent just in time to dodge the fire blast that she directed at his head. When the brief burst of flame dissipated in the air, he found her breathing hard above the smoke that rose from her curled fist.

"Don't _ever_ touch me again." Her eyes watched him guardedly, waiting for him to try and make another move.

He ignored the faint smell of singed clothing and hair as he stood back, leaning most of his weight against his right leg and regarded her with an indifferent smirk, as if nothing had happened. "You should watch your temper, Uh-vatar."

"_DON'T CALL ME THAT_!" She shouted, rigidly standing up straight before pointing an accusatory finger at him. "And you have some nerve, you hypocritical ass!"

"Why, whatever do you mean?" He asked, feigning interest.

"You accuse me of not saying a word to you ever since I came here? _You_ haven't said a word to me for four years. _You never wrote back_!"

The anger on her face was weakened by something quieter, something softer, but it was there all the same. He watched silently as she drew a deep breath, her hands wrapping herself to try and stop from shaking.

"Just leave me alone." Her demand was hoarse from the shouting, but it was clear over the booming voice of the announce and the rally of the crowd. She turned towards the match below, showing off the lines of her shoulder blades against the material of her top.

Despite her vulnerability and the slight pang of guilt it incited, his pride wouldn't allow him to leave without a parting word. "Whatever the Uh-vatar wants."

She didn't respond to the insult; she just stood motionlessly, her curved figure illuminated by the arena lights. He lingered only for a minute longer before turning away to leave her to the rest of her precious match.

Their argument resounded through his head as his footsteps echoed off the empty walls of the hallway. He mused over how humorous it all was: these past four years, she had resented him just as much as he had her. There was bitter comfort in knowing that grudges could carry over the years as easily as they carried over the thousands of miles between the South Pole and Republic City.

In the back of his mind, he vaguely remembered why he looked for her at the arena in the first place. If she hadn't ruined everything, he would have felt guiltier.

* * *

Her chest was burning, but she willed her feet to keep moving over the pavement that endlessly stretched before her in the dimly-lit streets. Breathing was a second priority-escaping her pursuers was of higher importance.

The men were relentless, she gave them that. Even though she managed to evade them at the docks, their distant cries indicated that she _wasn't running fast enough_. In between sprinting and mentally scanning possible hideouts, she was cursing herself for being careless enough to walk into their well-laid trap. To make matters worse, they had seen her face. She may have been in the city for two months, but her pursuers, no matter how slow they were, knew every building and side alleyway better than she ever could. Republic City was their turf, and she was wading in predator-infested waters.

Her heart nearly jumped into her throat when she thought she heard the roar of an engine somewhere far behind her. Her apartment flashed briefly in her erratic thoughts, but she quickly rejected it. She couldn't go back there now, especially if they caught up to her. Mako and Bolin came into mind, but the ache in her chest shot down that notion as well. She couldn't risk bringing the gang to the arena where they lived, no matter how many times she had butt heads with that grump of a gym manager, Toza.

_They don't know who I am yet. No one in this city does except _him.

While sharply turning a corner, she looked frantically over her shoulder to check if her pursuers were still within sight. The wind suddenly left her lungs when she collided against something solid, and she fell backwards onto the ground. Her elbows stung when the cement scraped against them, but her minor injury was quickly forgotten when she saw a wave of groomed black hair against the familiar, pale face.

"Tahno?" His name left her lips as the tall man brushed the dust off the front of his shirt.

"Too difficult for you to watch where you're running, Uh-vatar?" He inquired in that mocking tone of his before getting up to his feet. "Where's the fire?"

"Hopefully, there's not going to be one," Korra answered, scrambling up to her feet. "Look, you have to get out of here."

"I'll go where I please, little girl." He shot back, his grey eyes coolly observing her. "What's gotten into you?"

"I can't _explain_ right now, just listen to me-"

"_There!_ I saw the bitch run that way!"

Her warning trailed off when she heard the gang member's voice carry over the distance she had worked so hard to put between them. She glanced over at the Wolfbat captain, who was looking in the direction where the voice came from. Exhaling deeply, she turned her back to the tall waterbender and planted her feet firmly against the sidewalk. She then took a defensive stance, her fingers warm with the scarlet and orange flames that engulfed her hands.

She didn't want to be found out like this, but running away was no longer an option.

Her concentration was abruptly broken when a firm hand grabbed her arm, causing the fire to disperse into dying embers from her fingertips. "Let me go! We don't have time to run away!"

"We aren't," he responded, pulling her into a nearby alley. With one fluid motion of his hand, the black belt around his waist slipped smoothly from the loops of his jacket, which he then shrugged from his wide shoulders.

Her utter shock at his casual undressing was almost enough for Korra to forget the impeding threat of the approaching gang. "What the HELL are you doing?" He said nothing as he threw his coat over her head before pushing her against the brick wall. Her immediate attempt to hit him was thwarted when his hands restrained her wrists, and shivers involuntarily crept down her spine when she felt the weight of his body through the fabric of her clothes.

"Tahno, what-"

The question died in her throat when she tasted the heat of his mouth against her own.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm so, so, so sorry that this took really long to publish. I'll probably say this for future chapters, but this one was HARD to write since it was the first chapter set in Republic City after five chapters of being in the South Pole. For the most part, I'm happy with it though, and I hope you all enjoy reading it.

I've started writing the next chapter so I can get it out in a reasonable time. Thanks again for all the feedback (anonymous and signed) and the alerts, everyone! As always, please let me know what you think!


	7. Protect

Chapter 7: Protect

Her mind was a blank slate when his lips touched hers, sending a cold shock from her mouth that instantly warmed to her limbs as the sensation travelled throughout. She stood there, trapped between the wall and against his body. Her eyes were wide as they glared at him, but his face was so close that she couldn't read his expression. When what was happening finally registered through her head, she pulled her right hand from his grasp and raised it against his shoulder. To her misfortune, he had predicted this and easily caught her fist in mid-air, and he pinned it down. The string of curses she directed at him were muffled by his lips, which were surprisingly soft even when he pressed them against her mouth in an even fiercer kiss, as if he was paying her back for trying to hit him.

"Where is she?!"

She stopped struggling once she heard the gangster's voice around the corner of the alley. Heavy footsteps were slamming against the sidewalk, and her eyes closed as she held her breath.

The footsteps stopped near the alley. "I saw her!" An image of a man in a red overcoat knocked back after a well-placed water whip passed through her thoughts when she heard the familiar voice. "Where do you think she-" The gangster stopped mid-sentence, and Korra swore she could feel his gaze burning on Tahno and her. "Uh..."

"What the hell are you staring at, perv?" A voice that she vaguely recalled belonged to an earthbender she had thrown into a heap of wooden boxes at the docks. "The boss will be pissed if we can't find her again!"

"You don't have to shout, asshole, I know! Hey, you two!" Her heart stopped when the gangster heckled them. "Get a damn room!"

An eternity slipped by for the footsteps to completely faded away and for Tahno's lips to finally leave hers. Without so much as looking at the dumbfounded expression on her face, he stepped out of the alley and looked into the direction the gangsters had ran off.

"They'll be looking for a good while, Uh-vatar. Good job on making such dedicated friends-"

As soon as he turned around, her fist smashed against the right side of his jaw, the force of her punch sending him crashing against the pavement. After he fell on his back with an unceremonious thud, she tore off the jacket he had placed around her and flung it at his head. "Asshole!" Her voice echoed angrily off the brick walls around them. Her heart was pumping furiously in her ears, heat coursing through her veins as she towered over him. He slipped the jacket off his head, exposing a red bruise from where she had hit him. His fingers touched the injury, wiping away the small trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, and she was half-tempted to hit him again when he looked up at her with an indifferent little smirk.

"That brings back memories." He commented jauntily.

"How can you be so _casual_ about it?!"

"It's not like I haven't been hit before-"

"NOT THAT!" She cut him off, her hands briefly gripping her side ponytails in frustration.

Her fingers dug tightly into the palms of her hands when he chuckled, throwing his jacket over his shoulder while he rose from the ground and back onto his feet. "Oh, you mean when we kissed."

"There was no 'we'! _You_ kissed _me_." She reiterated, eliminating any chance for misinterpretation.

"Most women wouldn't complain in your place," he drawled, his pale grey eyes shining with amusement from the faint flow of the street lamps.

She stomped towards him, incensed. "I'm not most women, and I'm definitely not one of your scatterbrained floozies!"

"I see your vocabulary has expanded since your stay here." The grin disappeared momentarily once her hands gripped the collar of his shirt and effortlessly slammed him against the brick wall. He grunted from the impact of the wall, the black tailored jacket slipping off his shoulder and onto the ground. She thought that the reversal of positions may have frightened him, but his grey eyes watched her avidly, cutting her like ice.

"You going to hit me again, little girl?" The unusually calm tone of his voice sent chills down her back, but she continued to glare defiantly at him.

"Why shouldn't I?" She challenged. "You forced yourself on me."

"I _saved _you."

She balked at the absurdity of his words, her grip tightening even more around his collar. "What the hell are you talking about, you sleaze?"

"Those friends of yours aren't chasing you anymore, are they?"

"I didn't need you to help me! I was ready-"

"Ready to what, fight?" He interrupted. The grin was absent, but his eyes were laughing at her.

His condescending tone only infuriated her more. "I could've taken them!"

"And then what? Burn everything in sight like you did at the docks last week?"

She recoiled at the accusation, her grip slightly loosening. "How...how did you know about that?" He sent a jolt through her hands when his thin fingers settled on her tightened knuckles.

"A really good question," he started, his tone even, his eyes still watching her intently from the dark, styled bangs, "but how about we get out of the dark, grimy alley first?"

"You're not going anywhere until you answer me!" Korra commanded.

"Are you _really_ that much of an idiot?" This time, his voice was raised slightly when he snapped back. She was startled by how his hand clasped tightly around her own. "That gang's going to circle back eventually, and you want to waste precious time interrogating me _here_?"

She bit her lip in frustration, trying to ignore the sense that the Wolfbat was making. "Don't call me an idiot-"

"I'll call you what I damn like, and right now you're being an idiot." He broke her hold on his jacket, his cold hands grasping her wrists tightly. "You're so stubborn that you can't even tell when someone's trying to help you."

Korra didn't want to believe him; he had given no reason for her to. Her eyes darted away from his face, but his fingers caught her chin before she could look away. "Come with me, and I'll answer your stupid questions."

Her scrutinizing glare noticed that the usual arrogant smirk was nonexistent, and his eyes held their steady, grey stare on her. She closed her eyes, letting out a defeated sigh, and her fists unclenched as he pulled them down back to her sides before letting go of them.

"Follow me." His fingers released her chin and under the dim light of the streetlamps, she followed the taller man down the street. He moved with a causal poise, his long legs eating up the pavement as he led her to a black, well-polished Satomobile. He opened the right door to the backseat and gestured her to enter. She crouched slightly so that her head missed the hood of the car and she slid down to the other end of the seat. The driver in the front acknowledged her with a polite nod, and when Tahno seated himself beside her, asked, "Where to, sir?"

"Wherever she lives." He said, and the driver's eyes settled on Korra.

"The Dragon Flats." She answered, quietly examining the plush interior of the Satomobile. She jumped slightly when she felt the seat rumble lowly and the gears shift as the driver pulled from the curb and onto the road. As they left the shanty neighborhood, the streets became brighter and more populated. The lights passed by her in streaks of gold, countless buildings and nameless faces passed by her as the car moved along the road.

"Never been in the back of a Satomobile, I take it?" Even when he was asking a question, he always sounded so damn smug.

She kept her eyes on the view outside her window. "Haven't had much of a chance to. Until now, the only thing I've ridden was a polar bear dog."

"Where _is_ the mongrel anyway?"

Korra was silent before defensively retorting, "You said you'd answer _my_ questions, Pretty Boy." She turned her head from the window to find him lounging against the back seat, one leg crossed over the other as his pointed chin propped up by his hand. "How did you know about the docks?"

"One of my teammates does business down there, and his entire inventory was destroyed. When he was down at the docks with his mother to ask the supervisor about it, _you _were mentioned." His stare was almost heavy after it went from the window back onto her again. "Shaozu remembered hearing about you when we ran into each other at Narook's last week. Ringing any bells?" He added with a sly smile that stoked her already rising temper.

"How can I forget how you bullied Bolin?" She shot back acidly.

"Not my fault that he can't take a joke."

"It was insensitive."

His deep chuckles made the heat rise further up the back of her neck. "I could say the same of you, little girl. After all, you _did _destroy Shaozu's inventory of imported silks."

"I didn't mean to!" Korra snapped indignantly, the bright blue of her eyes clashing with the antagonizing grey of his own. "I was trying to stop those thugs from stealing all those crates!"

His pale eyes continued to laugh at her. "So _destroying_ them was better? You do realize that the whole point of a business is to make money?"

"I wasn't going to just LET those creeps get away!"

"Your little fight cost Shaozu's family a month's worth of profit that can't be easily made back. On top of that, he had to do some damage control with the dealer who sent those silks." The Wolfbat replied coolly.

Her mouth opened, but then closed again when she realized she couldn't argue against that. Remorse tempered her anger at Tahno, and she looked away from him. "I didn't mean to..."

"Your intentions can't repair the damage you did, no matter how good they were at the time." The weight of her guilt doubled , and her hands tightly gripped her knees. His tone was composed, but the words stung her with the intensity of an arctic gale. She felt relieved when she noticed the familiar shades of muted grays of the Dragon Flats, but it was short-lived.

"You can't go around assuming people want to be rescued, _Uh-_vatar."

"I'm not going to turn my back when people need help-"

"It isn't your _job_." He repeated.

She decided then that she had enough with his relentless verbal assault. "Stop the car."

"W-what?" The driver asked behind them, obviously trying to ignore their argument.

"_Stop the car_!" She repeated, and the automobile lurched forward with a screech at her command. Collecting herself, her hand went to the handle of the door and pulled, the chill of the night air rushing over her when it opened. One foot was out of the car until she was pulled back by a hand catching her wrist. Her eyes went from the pale fingers and to the man they belonged to. His eyes were no longer laughing, but they bore into her all the same.

"If you keep this up, you won't have to keep hiding you're the Avatar anymore." He started, his thin fingers holding on firmly. "Before you try playing the hero again, just know that not everyone is going to appreciate your help. So be smart for once and leave people to their own messes."

She gritted her teeth in frustration before snatching her wrist back. "Things must be really easy when the only thing that matters is yourself, huh?" He was quiet, but the look he gave her was contemptuous. She continued, suddenly feeling emboldened. "I don't you to tell me what to do. Why bother even trying to give me such helpful advice, anyway?"

His eyes stayed on her when he wryly asked, "Why are you being so damned thickheaded?"

"Because you didn't really care about me back in the South Pole. Why pretend to start now?"

The car door separated them when she slammed it behind her and walked briskly to her apartment. She slowly relaxed her shoulders as she heard the Satomobile finally drive away, but her steps were heavy as they took her to her apartment building. The tightness in her chest failed to unwind even when she entered the small, but cozy living room. She threw herself unceremoniously upon the cushions of the couch and curled into a ball, her arms instinctively hugging her knees. His stupid face appeared before her even when she closed her eyes. Her fingers unconsciously went to her lips, and a wave of heat rushed over her face and down her neck.

Korra covered her face with a nearby pillow and let out a muffled, frustrated yell.

* * *

"I need to talk to you."

She was never one to mince words, even in front of people who she didn't know. Shaozu's laugh and Ming's long whistle didn't deter her; her eyes never left him.

A smirk played at his lips, and with a casual wave of his hand, he dismissed his teammates. "Boys, I'll see you inside." The two men lingered for only a moment, probably to exchange confused looks over their leader's prompt acceptance of the girl's command, before leaving him with the younger waterbender. Even with the Shaozu and Ming gone, she didn't want to stay around the arena's doors, so Tahno followed her as she walked toward where a gazebo stood near the water's edge. The long trail of hair slightly caught the night wind as they walked and the chatter of the people gathered at the Arena became a small hum of noise over the soft lapping waves of Yue Bay.

"They don't know who I am." She spoke, leaning her shoulder against one of the pillars. "Those guys don't know I'm the Avatar."

It was a plain, straightforward statement. He took the spot next to her and rested his back against the opposite pillar, casually crossing his arms over his chest. "Were you hoping to make fans out of my teammates?"

"Of course not," she remarked irritably. "What I meant was that they don't know who I am because _you_ haven't told them. In fact, you haven't told anybody."

He brushed back a loose bang that the wind tossed across his brow. "Does that bother you, little girl?"

"It's not that it bothers me...but why? Why haven't you told anyone?" Under the roof of the gazebo, those maddeningly blue eyes studied him closely.

He could have lied. The memory of her slamming the car door in his face, specifically after he had spirited her away from the slum where the gangsters were chasing her, was still fresh in his mind and his ego. She _really_ was inconsiderate that night...she didn't even give him a chance to answer the question she asked before she took off. Now that he thought about it though, he wasn't certain if he would've answered truthfully. He could have very well said something that would have caused the girl to take off again, or she could have done something that would have made him leave her like he had when they fought at the Arena. And now, it could end up that way once more: his answer was a factor to whether Korra would stay a little longer, or leave.

The angry, pained expression on her face before she stormed off reemerged from his memories of that night, and he decided then what he would say.

"Because even though you're doing a poor job of it, you're hiding your identity." He said, staring calmly back at her.

She was silent, but as he expected, didn't refute his claim.

"But question is, how long do you expect to keep up this little charade?"

This time, she spoke. "For as long as I have to. I have something I need to prove."

There were no traces of hesitation in her words, and she spoke them with a finality that left little room for more questions. They stood in silence for a few moments until she spoke again. "I'm sorry about what happened a few nights ago."

He was quietly startled by the suddenness of her apology, and he was even more shocked that she had little difficulty in saying it. "I didn't want to admit it then, but you did help me out. And I didn't like what you had to say, but I know you wouldn't have mentioned those things if you didn't really believe them."

This was the first time she was looking at him without any contempt or irritation. She stood before him, her arms at her sides, looking back at him under the windswept bangs that parted above her expressive eyes. "Thanks, Tahno."

He just stood there, doing his best to hide his shock. He was unable to grasp any words, and the silence eventually must have made her feel uncomfortable. "Well, that's all I really wanted to tell you. You better go before your teammates start wondering where you are."

"Korra."

She had begun to walk away, but she stopped and looked over her shoulder when he called her name. "I'm right when I said that not everyone would appreciate your help. Don't go around meddling in everybody's business."

She threw an irritated glare at him. "I can take care of myself-"

"No, you don't get it." He cut her off, walking briskly towards her. Her eyes continued to study him as he stood a good foot above her, fighting the urge to shake her by the shoulders. "If you keep this up, you're going to get yourself into some real trouble, and I won't be around next time." As he listened to himself talk, he knew he sounded less confident than he would have liked. He was slightly ashamed by it, but it was more important that she understand.

She must have, since her glare changed into something gentler. For the first time since they met again in this city, a reassuring smile softened the features of her face, and his chest quickened at the sight of it.

"Don't worry. I'll be careful."

"I'm not worried," he said quickly. "I'm just warning you."

There wasn't an angry remark, like he had been expecting. Instead the girl stuck her tongue out at him before grinning playfully. "Yeah, yeah." He had felt stupid at that moment, because while she walked towards the city, he knew that at least one part of her hadn't changed over these past four years.

She could still tell when he was lying.

* * *

"Oh, it's that girl."

Shaozu stated what Tahno had already seen: Korra was sitting across the oaf that was the younger Fire Ferret brother. By her despondent look and the way she slumped her shoulders, the earthbender was most likely attempting to cheer her up. All she could manage was a weak grin at her companion, even when a huge bowl of steaming seaweed noodles was placed in front of her.

"Something must be bothering her," Ming observed after putting his empty glass on the table. "She's not eating with her usual enthusiasm."

"I can't really blame her." The youngest Wolfbat said as he helped himself to a bit of grilled fish. "She just lost her job."

"What was that?"

He was silently grateful that he was able to hide his alarm underneath a tone of mild interest. Shaozu didn't pick up anything as his chopsticks grabbed another piece of fish.

"The supervisor down at the docks found out she's been causing trouble with the gangs for a while now. It got so bad that there they actually attacked in broad daylight today." The firebender paused to take a sip from his drink. "She drove the guys off, but the supervisor didn't want any more trouble. So he fired her."

Tahno looked from his teammate back to the girl, who had finally begun to peck at her food, most likely to humor the Fire Ferret sitting across from her. As he watched her slowly slurp up the noodles from her bowl, he briefly saw a little girl eating a skewer of roasted arctic hen with a halfhearted appetite.

"Well, we called it." Ming said, his green eyes also watching the Southern Water tribe girl with what may have been pity. "It was only a matter of time until she bit off more than she could chew."

"Let's go."

Shaozu stared at the Wolfbat Captain confusedly. "But we were going to meet the girls, here-"

"We'll meet them some place a little more...lively. Ming, didn't you mention a club that opened up near here?"

He didn't cast a glance at the girl as he led his teammates from the booth. He was sure not to walk past the row of tables where she was seated, but she looked so absorbed in her thoughts that Tahno didn't think she would have noticed them anyway. After telling Ming and Shaozu to wait outside, he hailed the restaurant owner over to the front counter.

"Send an order of arctic hen skewers and stewed sea prunes over to that table." He gestured over to where Korra and the oaf sat. "Put it on my tab, and don't tell them where it came from."

"That's kind of you." The old cook genially said with a smile that Tahno didn't like. He didn't say anything else to Narook as he went outside to join his teammates.

The smile she gave him a few nights ago outside of the arena appeared in his mind, and he remembered sullenly that no meal in Republic City tasted better than the one they shared in that tiny inn back at the South Pole.

* * *

_This isn't stalking_, he kept telling himself as he sat back against the plush cushions of the Satomobile. _I'm just checking on her._

She hadn't been anywhere lately: not the Arena, not Narook's, not _anywhere_. A part of him irrationally speculated that the girl had done something utterly stupid like let herself get caught by the Triple Threat Triad or the Agni Kais. When a few days had transpired to a full week, that speculation became increasingly rational, which was why he had driven himself to the Dragon Flats. Tahno typically preferred to be the passenger, but if the girl really was involved with the gangs again, he didn't want any more unnecessary witnesses. Besides, the car, which one of his sponsors had generously given it to him, was collecting dust inside the complex's garage.

This was all _her_ fault. She was the reason he got lost navigating his own way here, and she was also the reason he was waiting in an expensive-looking Satomobile in the middle of this less-than-elegant district. He would be sure to tell her about her part in this awful night, but first he had to _find_ her. The last time he was here, he didn't even have the chance to drop the girl off at her apartment. She forced herself out after their last argument, and the car drove off before he could even get a look at which building she disappeared into. To his frustration, none of the buildings were jumping out at him. Tahno just remembered vaguely that this was the general direction Korra took off to.

A deafening blast in the near distance tore him from his thoughts, and he scrambled out of the driver's seat and stepped onto the street. Red and orange flame unfurled beneath the darkness of the night sky, and in the distance, he heard people shouting as the fire roared on.

He knew then that Korra lived nearby.

Wrenching the keys out of the ignition and slamming the door shut, he left the car and broke into a full sprint. Somewhere he thought he heard sirens approaching, and the crimson light towered higher over him as he approached. As soon as a police car sped down the street, he saw a familiar face emerge from one of the side alleys. When she thought it was safe, she stepped out onto the sidewalk, her eyes watching the blue and red lights flash urgently until she turned away and spotted him.

"Tahno?" Her voice was hardly above a hoarse whisper. As he got closer, he didn't know what to make of the disheveled hair that was coming loose from the bands or the smudges of ash that covered her pants and fitted top, which he had noticed was slightly torn at the hem. Small red cuts ran across her right cheek and a larger gash trailed down her left arm.

"What happened to you?" The alarm was evident in his slightly raised tone.

"The Triad, but I got them back for it." she answered softly before adding, "You were right." It only took him a moment to realize what she meant. Had it been another time, under different circumstances, he would've taken the time to gloat.

But seeing her look as injured and defeated as she was standing before him, coupled with the wails of more approaching police cars, his hands were moving before he even commanded them to. For the second time, he shrugged off his black jacket and threw it over her head. "Come on." He told her, keeping a wary eye out for passerby. As they walked towards his car, he instinctively placed an arm around her shoulders to guide her. And to his surprise, the girl didn't stop him- she only pulled his jacket tighter around her.

When they reached the Satomobile, she slipped in after he held the door for her. After casting another glance around the nearly empty street, he went to the driver's side and got in the seat. He wasted no time putting the keys in the ignition and starting the car, and he quickly turned around and drove them both away from the havoc.

She was so unusually silent as she sat with hunched shoulders in the passenger seat that he wasn't prepared when she finally spoke. "What were you doing out here?"

"That's not important."

"It is to me." The bright blue stare pierced him as he stopped the car at an intersection. "Tell me."

While he waited for the red light to change, his eyes roved over the red gash that trailed across the otherwise dark tan skin, and he grudgingly relented at the sight of it. "I heard you got fired from your job at the docks. On top of that, you weren't at any of your usual hangouts."

The light turned green and he pressed his foot against the gas pedal. Even though he wasn't looking, he knew she was studying him from underneath the jacket draped over her head. "How did you know I wasn't around?"

"Give me a little credit, _Uh_-vatar. You're so loud that I knew something was up when it was quiet at the Arena and Narook's for once."

For some reason, he was annoyed when she didn't snap back at like she predicted he would. "You were right." She repeated the same words from earlier.

"I'm right about a lot of things," he responded, doing his best to sound nonchalant while he merged from the main road onto a ramp that led to one of the city's main bridges.

"You were right about people not appreciating my help." She answered. After the car got on the bridge, she looked forward at the arc of pavement that stretched over the waters beneath them. "The Triad found out where I lived, even though I hid out at the park for a week. When I thought it was safe to go back, they were interrogating the landlady."

He said nothing, hovering in the lane next to another Satomobile until the driver hit the gas and sped ahead of them.

"I beat them, though. I beat all of them, but then there was so much fire." Korra continued, her words slightly trembling.

The car went over a small bump as it reentered the city streets again, the lights of the bridge glowing brightly in his rear view mirror. When he stole another glance at the girl, her fingers were absentmindedly following the wound on her arm. "I got everyone out the building, though...even the old lady and her cat who lived on the first floor. But when we were outside and I went to check on the landlady, she looked so scared."

The jacket that obscured her face couldn't hide the small sob that rose from her voice when she spoke again. "She didn't even want to talk to me. And her kids, they were so frightened, too. The younger boy was crying."

She bit down her lip, trying to recover, but a few sniffles managed to escape. He kept his eyes directly on the road, doing his best to feign concentration as the girl try to keep back the torrent of guilt and misery he knew she was feeling. After a few minutes, the jacket slipped from her head, revealing a sad smile and a pair of watery blue eyes. "Sorry for going on like this. Do you know any hotels around this part of the city?"

"I may." He answered, unsurprised by her sudden attempt to steer the conversation away from the previous topic.

"Think you can drop me off somewhere cheap? Preferably with workers who don't ask a lot of questions?" He simply nodded, and the girl's small smile widened a bit. "Thanks. After this, I'll be out of your hair."

Hearing that didn't comfort him as much as she may have intended. She pressed her cheek against the window, her breath fogging against the glass pane. She absentmindedly watched the passing buildings and faceless people until she shut her heavy-lidded eyes and didn't bother opening them. When he heard her deep steady breaths as she slept in her seat, he struggled with his own thoughts as he navigated the car through the city.

When he found her earlier tonight, she was trying so hard to keep herself from falling apart. The wounds on her cheek and arm would heal fast enough, but Korra's confidence was shaken. He knew she was going to find out that Republic City was nothing like the frozen tundra of the South Pole. This place was populated with too many people, each and every one of them had their own interests and goals at heart, that her actions wouldn't go unnoticed for too long. Her vigilante justice sent a few feeble ripples at the beginning, but now Korra finally realized that even the Avatar-no..._especially_ the Avatar-could unintentionally hurt people.

This was a lesson she had to learn, but he disliked that it affected her this much.

He had only seen her like this once before. After he found her when she ran away from home, Korra had the same defeated look on her face like she had tonight. Back then, she looked so small crying in the snow. Her eyes were so puffy, even after they had eaten later at the inn while listening to a pro-bending match on his radio. But when that song, one he could barely remember the lyrics to now, began to play, she was so warm in his arms as they danced. After everything they both went through that day, he knew she was at peace after a day of evading her captors in the snow and the ice. His little room at that inn was a sanctuary from the rest of the world, no matter how brief her time spent there was.

Tonight she didn't cry. Even though her eyes were brimmed with tears, she refused to let them fall. She had gotten stronger over the years, but she was still as fragile as a seventeen-year-old could be. And as soon as he let her out of this car to another hotel, there was no guarantee that she would stay safe for very long.

As far as he knew, Korra didn't have anywhere to go.

He made his decision while he drove towards his district. His resolution didn't waver, even when he heard her waking up after he parked the car.

"Where are we?" She asked groggily. When she looked out the window, her eyes widened at the sight of the tall, extravagant building outside. "I said somewhere cheap! I can't afford a room here-"

"This is where I live and yes, it's most likely out of your price range." He commented, stepping out of the car. Although it was late, the valet was prompt with greeting him.

"Just park it back in the garage." He instructed before turning an annoyed glance at the dumbstruck girl, who remained in the car. "Get out."

When he turned his back, he heard her scrambling out of the car. Despite her state of exhaustion, her grip was firm when it snatched his wrist. "Why did you take me here? I told you to drop me off at some hotel-"

"You're here because I wanted you to be." Her mouth was slightly agape when his grey eyes fell on her. "You're staying with me."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I'm so, so, SO sorry this was late...again. I went on vacation, and on top of that, my flight back home was delayed (yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!).

Thank you to all the follows, favorites, and reviews, as always! I don't think I can tell you all how surprised I really was when I came back from the airport and saw all the notifications. It makes me happy beyond words that you enjoy reading a story I've put a lot of work into. Again I'm sorry for being so late, and I promise that the future chapters will be published sooner than they have been recently.

That's it for now, and thanks again for being so patient! You guys rock!


	8. The Morning After

Chapter 8: The Morning After

Getting her inside the building was nothing short of a miracle.

He was sure that her fatigue from rescuing a bunch of tenants and escaping a burning building made it easier to shove her past the revolving doors. But some benevolent spirit made sure that the receptionist was absent from her post, otherwise the woman would have heard the string of colorful expletives that the girl was spouting while being dragged toward the elevators. He pulled her inside, calmly folding his arms across his chest and allowing himself to be the sounding board for every dirty insult the girl had already known in the South Pole and had learned during her stay in the city.

When the doors of the elevator slid shut, he decided that her tirade is over.

"Keep screaming like a banshee, and I don't think the gangs will have to look hard to find you."

"YOU DUMBASS!" She yelled, his insult flying over her head, his chest being stabbed by her accusatory finger.

"Do you want to wake up the entire damn building?" He shot at her, his patience already cracked.

"You can't just pull me around everywhere like I'm some...some...DOLL!" The girl screamed, nostrils flared, teeth gritted, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I kept trying to tell you back there that this is a _huge_ mistake."

"And I did all I could to ignore you until now, obviously." He replied, brushing away a stray lock of jet black hair from his cheek.

She grabbed her front ponytails out of frustration, and he couldn't help but think she was attempting to keep her hands from wrapping around his throat. "I told you specifically to take me to a hotel! I TOLD you, and you didn't listen!"

"I didn't because your plan would've likely gotten you caught by the Triad or even by the police."

Unsurprisingly, she didn't agree. "I been through a lot of crap tonight. The last thing I want is for you to get involved!"

He thought of her huddled in his black jacket, looking exhausted, almost broken, and for once he is unable to hold back his temper. "Stays in the city for less than a couple of months, and the almighty Uh-vatar thinks my help is beneath her?"

"Don't put words in my mouth. Don't."

She looked even more tired than she appeared during the drive over here, which he thought wasn't possible. Against his expectations, she drew back from him, and rested her body against the back of the wall. "I inadvertently set a building on fire. People lost their home because of me." At the last statement, her hands hugged her sides, re-enacting an old habit of hers when she was nervous as a child, and she looked smaller now underneath his jacket. "That can't happen again."

She faced the wall ahead of her, but he knew she wasn't really looking at anything in particular. And even though the high collar of his jacket hid them from view, he could still visualize the red marks that ran jaggedly across her right cheek. There was an audible ding, and the elevator halted in its ascent, its doors sliding smoothly to reveal the hallways of the 30th floor. He crossed the threshold, but not completely. With one foot in the hallway and another on the elevator, he looked back at the girl, whose eyes didn't lift to meet his.

"Are you done?" He asked, a hint of irritation edging his otherwise even voice.

"How can you be so calm about this?" She questioned him accusingly as she remained where she was. "You saw what they did."

"It was a pretty fireworks show, I admit. But I've seen better-"

"Don't you get it?!" The morose little girl was now alive again, the all-too familiar eyes burning bright with anger. "I don't want them to do anything to you!"

The walls of the elevator did little to muffle the fury or the desperation in her words. Tahno didn't dare answer with another joke. Even if he were in a better mood, he doubted teasing the girl would accomplish anything. "If you would _think_ for a second, you'd realize that they can't do anything to me because they won't find me. They know you worked at the docks for some time, right?"

Her eyes were wary and her fists were still balled at her sides, but she answered with a curt nod.

"This is one of the last places in the city that the Triad is going to find some Water Tribe girl living off minimum wage. They won't find me or you here, but it can only stay that way if you don't draw attention to yourself."

Stubborn as ever, she remained rooted to the floor of the elevator, but her hands relaxed and her glare was losing its edge. Sighing exasperatedly, Tahno extended his hand to her. "Come on. Nothing's going to happen to me."

Her standoff lasted for another minute before she relented. Her hand was small reaching for his, just as it always was when they were children. He knew better then to jest, and she must have been grateful for it. When both her feet left the elevator, the doors glided behind her and began its descent. Neither of them spoke as he guided her down the hallway and to the correct door. He let her hand go to turn the key and with a flick of the nearby light switch, his apartment appeared before them.

Keeping with his personal tastes of dark colors, the deep red cushions of the matching furniture set barely showed in the glow of the overhead lamps. The occasional piece of artwork decorated the otherwise accented walls, but each painting added a cultured air to the living room's aesthetic. A breadth of black curtains swept over the set of window blinds, hiding the city lights from view.

"Shoes off." He looked over his shoulder to find her taking in the place with her eyes wide with awe. When she heard him, she snapped herself out of the daze and slipped off her boots. "I'll be back. Hang around here."

He didn't wait for an answer and left her at the door. Tahno walked through the living room and down a short hallway to where his bedroom was. After turning on the desk lamp on his wardrobe, he began pulling open the drawers. His search stopped at the second drawer when he found a pair of black silk pajama bottoms and a matching button down. Given their differences in height, she would be swimming in the material, but it was the only outfit he knew that would remotely fit her. He left the room with the pajamas and took out a towel from a closet in the hallway.

He found her with her back to him; she had drawn back the curtain and propped open the blinds partially to steal a glimpse of the city skyline. Her eyes left the scenery when she heard him approach, casting a confused look at the clothes he had in his arms.

"Shower's at the end of the hallway, on the right," he simply explained, shoving the clothes and towel into her hands.

She made no effort to mask her irritation at the prompt request, but she draped the towel in her arm and the pajamas in the other and headed toward the direction of the bathroom. He heard the faint sound of running water as he prepared tea in the kitchen area. As he let the loose leaves steep in the water of the kettle, he collected a few pieces of fruit from the ice box. He sliced a green apple in quarters, remembering that his search for the girl had derailed any plans he had to go grocery shopping early in the week. Placing the apple slices next to a couple of tangerines on a plate, he carried the food over to the coffee table in the living room. He had just set down the kettle and two tea cups when he heard her footsteps. Her damp hair was loose, the long strands sticking to the back of her neck and her bangs clinging to her cheeks. Like he predicted, his pajamas weren't flattering to her figure-all but her fingertips were covered by the long sleeves, and she had rolled up the ends of the pants so they material wouldn't drag whenever she walked. He couldn't help chuckling at how she was practically drowning in the oversized clothes, which earned him a scornful glare.

"It's not my fault that you're abnormally tall." She said defensively, rolling up a sleeve to her elbow.

"How are those pants any more different than the baggy eyesores you wear?" Tahno shot back with a smirk. "Here." He gestured toward the platter of fruit and the tea on the coffee table.

Korra looked from him and to the food with a strange expression. She sat on the plush couch, tentatively picking up a green apple slice from the plate.

"It's not poisoned, Uh-vatar. It's also all I had around here."

"Tahno, why are you doing this?"

The question was abrupt, but he casually shrugged his shoulders. "Not like I had anything else going on." He snatched the apple from her hand and popped it into her mouth before she could ask him anything else. "Eat up, or would you rather I feed you?"

He barely dodged the pillow that she swung at his head, and he looked amusedly at the blue-eyed glower she directed at him. He turned and left her in the living room, briefly going back to his bedroom to get another pair of pajama pants. When he went into the humid bathroom, he found her clothes, singed at the edges with some parts covered in ash, in one corner. Assuming she didn't know where to put them, he placed them in the laundry hamper next to the sink. He thought better against just throwing the clothes out because he remembered her as the sentimental type. The clothes on her back were now her only reminders of her home in the South Pole. Any other personal belongings may have been abandoned in smoking rubble if they hadn't already been destroyed by the fire earlier tonight.

_She can't go around in those clothes, though_, he thought while the running water from the shower head washed over him as he stood in the bathtub. _She may as well wear a target on her back_.

After a while, he finished his shower and changed. When he went back to the living room, he found the girl curled up into a ball on the couch. The apple slices were gone, but the peel of tangerines were left in pieces on the plate next to a half-drunk cup of now cold jasmine tea. Her bangs had dried, revealing the marks she had received during her earlier fight with the Triad. His eyes also caught the long scar trailing on her left arm and the blue-and-white tribal band she wore on her right. He mused ironically how the girl actually had two more things she now carried two reminders on her arms: one to remind her of her home, and one to remind her of how dangerous it could be to play the role of savior.

He quietly went to the spare room where he kept a daybed and a full bookshelf. As he fetched a spare blanket from the closet, he thought to himself how he had seen very few people wear his clothes. All of them had been women, and he remembered the irritation he felt by their attempts to seduce him by slipping on a shirt or a jacket he had owned. When he saw Korra though, he didn't feel any of that past irritation. Looking at her after draping the blanket over her body, he realized how small she looked sleeping in his pajamas. Seeing her face so relaxed, her hair down and spread underneath her, smelling of tangerines and jasmine...she was vulnerable.

He realized his fingers were reaching to tuck away a stray lock of hair from her lips, and he quickly snatched his hand away. He turned from her again, heading towards the comforts of his liquor cabinet. With a glass of wine in his hand, he looked out over the light-strewn city from his balcony. Tried as he might, his head was filled with thoughts of the girl sleeping on his couch.

* * *

It was dark, but she could hear it-the snow fell softly, gently, like little fragile things made of crystal. She could feel them in her hair, brushing against her skin, chilling her with their light, frigid touches. Even before she learned how to bend it, she was born for the snow. She's played in it, lived in it, tasted it...and yet she had never felt cold like she did now. The air was frost in her lungs and in her nose as she tried to steady her breathing, and her cheeks stung from the tears that had dried long ago.

She wanted to stay in the darkness like this, possibly forever if she could. She was beginning to think that maybe she had hidden so well that everyone had given up looking for her. The possibility filled her with comfort as much as apprehension, but it did little to improve her mood. She knew what and who she was. She had responsibilities that she had to, _wanted_ to fulfill. But even now, her heart ached. Responsibility meant giving up a lot of things she wanted to keep: a normal life with her parents, more time just talking and training with Katara...and spending her time with a grey-eyed boy whose sarcasm and snobby attitude infuriated her to no end...but the thought of him made her heart ache the most.

She shut him out, as much as she didn't want to. Right now, she wanted to stay here surrounded by shadows, sitting under the falling snow.

_We're going_.

A gloved hand had pressed itself on top of hers, its touch warming her from the cold. Her eyes followed the arm, but they didn't find the owner. Darkness stared back at her, but she wasn't afraid. The voice was a familiar voice, one she had often heard when she was awake and when she was sleeping.

_Bang, bang, bang_.

She heard the series of knocks somewhere further in the darkness. She whipped her head right and left and even looked behind, but she couldn't find it. When she looked in front of her, she still couldn't even make out the outline of the person who spoke, but his hand was still on hers. The feeling of it was solid, tangible, and she didn't want to let go of it.

_Bang, bang, bang_. The knocking grew louder, and with it the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. His fingers began to slip from her grasp, as if the shadows were pulling him back. She desperately hung onto him, both of her small hands grasping him with all the strength she had.

"No!" She yelled over the increasing crescendo of the knocking and the snow that shuffled underneath her feet.

_Bang, bang, BANG_.

"Don't leave!" She struggled to keep her grip on his hand, her mind wiped of any previous desire for solitude.

_BANG, BANG, BANG._

At the last thunderous knock, his hand slipped from her own entirely, and with it any hope she had of hearing his voice ever again.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

She found herself underneath a dark ceiling when she was pulled back from that world of darkness and snow. Hurriedly wiping the sweat across her forehead, she sat up from the couch that she was laying on. Her vision, still bleary from sleep and the few tears she had brought back from her nightmare, was unable to clearly make out her surroundings, but that didn't bother her. The pounding headache was a more pressing matter, and she found that kneading her temples was little relief when the cause was still pounding loudly against the door. Unlike in her dream, the sound of the incessant rapping was intensified twofold in the waking world.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

She didn't know what time it was or why her living room was so dark. What she did know was that whoever was on the other side of the door was giving her a headache that threatened to split her skull in two. As she stood up and fumbled over a coffee table she didn't remember buying, she tried remembering if she had paid her landlady last week. The woman's wrath was something she didn't want to face, especially when she was feeling more tired than usual, but her resolve didn't waver as she wrapped her fingers around the door knob and pulled.

"Will you STOP knocking so loudly?! I already paid-"

She was unable to finish her sentence when she found that the short, grey-haired woman wasn't on the other side. Instead, a young man with chestnut brown hair, stood in front of her, his hand hanging in mid-air above her face where the door had been. Unlike his neatly styled hair, his face was a portrait of disarray; his blue eyes reflected bewilderment when they fell on Korra and his mouth hung open, unable to utter any coherent words.

"Didn't think Tahno had guests over...especially you." A deep voice commented, and she noticed that a taller, dark-haired man with jade green eyes stood behind the younger man. It took her less than a minute to recognize each of their faces from the Water Tribe restaurant that she used to frequent with Bolin.

It was then that the realization that she wasn't in her own apartment hit her with the force of a tsunami. In her head, she was screaming while trying to keep above the wave of mortification that threatened to drown her. "What do you want?"

"We needed to see Tahno. Is he around?" The dark-haired man asked with a shadow of a grin at his lips.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean? Didn't you see him when you woke up?"

She glared at the younger one, detesting what his tone implied. "It's not what you think-"

"You're wearing his pajamas." The blue-eyed man cut her off, giving her an incredulous look. She was suddenly aware that the oversized pajamas may have hung a little too low to her liking, and her hand immediately went to the top button to hike it up.

The taller man chuckled. "Don't be so tough on her, Shaozu." This man's tone was kinder, but Korra disliked what he followed up with. "There's no shame in it, you know. Tahno can be quite the charmer-"

"Look, chumps," she briskly interrupted the well-meaning, but misguided effort of reassurance. "I didn't stay over this place for the reasons you're thinking!"

The one named Shaozu scoffed at her. "You don't have to lie about it."

"I'm _not_ lying! I'm not one of his floozies, got it?!"

"I wouldn't call them that," Ming calmly replied, "But if you aren't, what are you?"

"She's my cousin." The men's eyes followed the voice to find the tall, black-haired man in question standing behind them. "Will you stop harassing her now, boys?" After hearing his voice, her brain halted frantically scrambling for a believable excuse as to why she stayed the night in an apartment belonging to the well-groomed Wolfbat. She could think of nothing, aside from the truth, that could even come close to explaining why she was wearing another man's clothes without unwanted implications, which she was certain was already going through the two visitors' heads.

"Your...cousin?" The one with the green coat asked skeptically, his eyes going to Korra and back to the tall man.

"I don't recall stuttering." Tahno's tone wasn't at all defensive-it was like he was making an excruciatingly obvious statement. "Korra, bags." She didn't like being ordered around, but she didn't argue. Korra hurried from the archway of the front door and took the bulging paper bags from his arms. She moved so quickly that she didn't have time to catch the expression on his face before turning away with the groceries in hands. After returning to the apartment and retreating toward the kitchen area where the ice box and pantry were, her heartbeat quickened when she heard their footsteps. As she struggled to keep herself from raising suspicion, Korra envied Tahno for being able to be so collected whereas she had a storm raging through her head.

"You're kidding." Their youngest teammate said in disbelief over the rustling of the bags as she reached for the food inside. "She looks nothing like you."

Korra didn't look up from the groceries, her hands randomly grabbing whatever was in the bags and stocking them into the shelves of the icebox.

"It was my understanding that cousins didn't have to look like each other, Shaozu," Tahno smoothly replied, "Besides, the little girl takes after her father's side more than her mother's, who married into the family."

She was more accustomed to hearing that her looks were an even blend between both her parents, but Korra didn't protest. Tahno obviously spent more time than she did fabricating their family tree.

"Didn't think you had relatives in the Water Tribe," She heard the green-eyed man's husky voice. "I thought your cousin was already living on her own though. What's she doing here?"

"Yeah, and why is she wearing your pajamas?" Her cheeks grew hot at the youngest Wolfbat's question, and the tomato that she was holding suffered from the ironclad clasp of her fingers.

"Little Korra here lost all her things to a bunch of thugs who broke into her apartment. So I took it upon myself to lend her a hand-"

"You're so full of yourself!" She shouted over the counter, ignoring the half-empty grocery bags. "And will you three stop talking about me like I'm not even here? _I'm in the SAME room_!"

Her outburst earned baffled expressions from the two guests, but it was Tahno's that burned into her mind. He appeared startled, as if he really had just become aware of her presence in the room. She followed the strange look on his face just as it came close to hers. She instinctively inched backwards to put some distance between them, too distracted to see the white hand shoot out towards her...

...and her view of the room and the other two Wolfbats slanted abruptly to an angle. In a gesture more humiliating than any other attack he was capable of, Tahno had grabbed a bunch of her hair and yanked.

"Mind your temper." He lightly chided her. She seethed as his hand hovered over her right shoulder with the thick, dark strands as his prize. Slipping on a bemused grin and ignoring the irate glare she threw at him, he turned back to his teammates. "She's cute when she's angry, isn't she?" He asked as if he was a proud master doting on something humorous his pet had done.

She quickly pushed him away, and he released her, waving both hands in a mock gesture of surrender. "Don't touch me!" She exclaimed, trying to ignore the temptation to chuck the rest of the groceries at his well-groomed head.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't disagree with Tahno." The green-eyed man, "Ming" if she remembered correctly, commented. She didn't know how to respond to his amiable tone, but she noticed that Tahno, for once in this conversation, looked annoyed. The irritation was gone as soon as it appeared though after he leaned back against the kitchen counter and faced his teammates.

"What did you two want anyway?" He asked without a hint of urgency in his tone.

The brown-haired boy named "Shaozu" answered promptly. "We had that interview with the paper today. Couldn't get in touch with you last night so we wanted to stop by this morning."

"Guess we shouldn't let the cameras wait too long for us, then." Tahno breezily answered, and as if he wanted to deliberately anger her further, his hand mussed up the top of her hair. "The grown-ups have business now. Think you can take care of yourself for a few hours?"

She frowned at him, and he retracted his hand before she could smack him away again. "I'm not a kid."

"Could've fooled me," he teased with that stupid grin of his. "Just keep out of trouble and out of my stuff." With that, he walked towards the door and his teammates wordlessly followed their leader. Neither of them looked back at her before the door closed shut. After she heard the latch click back into place, she let her shoulders sag as she released a sigh of relief. But the feeling of begrudging gratitude she felt last night for her "cousin" returned, and she knew that the debt she already owed Tahno had just increased. What was worse was the remnants of a nightmare she was having earlier were coming back to plague her: the banging sound that echoed through the darkness, the cold touch of snow, the loss and fear she felt when she couldn't reach the boy's hand...

Her nose caught a familiar scent of sugar and fresh bread. The sweet scent beckoned from the bag that she had started unpacking before the Wolfbats' conversation distracted her. Kneeling down to where the bag stood, she only had to remove a few more pieces of fruit to find a rectangular box. She picked it up in her hands and untied the knot that kept it in place. After opening the lid, a neat arrangement of pastry rolls welcomed her. Her mouth watering from the sweet scent, she took one roll and marveled at how soft and warm it felt to the touch. Thinking that they had just been baked this morning, Korra took a hearty bite. In between the flavors of tart berries and baked sugary dough, the pastry tasted of her thirteenth birthday, the one she had brought her first house guest ever to her home.

She remembered how tall he was even back then as they walked through the snow underneath the stars, his long arm over her shoulders.

* * *

"You're really not covering up for that girl or anything, right?"

It didn't surprise him that his teammates were still questioning over their unexpected encounter with Korra this morning. Aside from Shaozu's bellyaching over the family business and Ming's occasional brief anecdote about his parents, the subject of family was never a prevalent one. He had never mentioned being related to Korra before after what happened at Narook's, and it hadn't helped that the girl was wearing _his_ pajamas when she met his teammates at the door.

He was actually contemplating how he was going to introduce Korra to Ming and Shaozu while he was out shopping, but the events of this morning had forced his hand.

"When have I ever covered up for a girl who stayed over my house?" He asked almost disinterestedly. He knew Ming was aware of the answer-all of the girls Tahno had spent the night with never went out of their way to hide the fact that they were in his company.

Ming, taking a sip of the tea the newspaper staff provided him. "I just find it odd, is all. Korra had been in the city for a while, right? Why is she all of a sudden at your place?"

He appeared pensive before taking a deep breath and taking on an appearance that he rarely used: for once, Tahno looked concerned for someone that wasn't himself. "It's been four years since I've seen her, so I didn't immediately recognize Korra when we saw her arguing with old Toza at the Arena. After that, I received a letter from my aunt saying that her daughter ran away from home."

"All the way from the _South Pole_?" Ming asked in disbelief.

"I knew who she was right away after I read that letter." Tahno agreed, crossing one leg over the other and resting his chin on the steeple that his hands had formed. "After we bumped into each other again at Narook's, I paid my dear cousin a visit. Turns out that she _did_ run away from home."

The earthbender studied him with questioning eyes. "Why didn't you try convincing her to go back?"

In his mind, it was nighttime and he was underneath the roof of a gazebo slightly hidden away from the bright glow of the Arena and the clamor of the passerby. She was across from him, her shoulder supported by one of the pillars, her blue eyes staring at him against the backdrop of the dark sky and Yue Bay. He remembered her words, which were clear over the slight breeze and the lull of the water, as he answered plainly, "Because she feels she has something to prove."

Tahno knew he was safe when he saw Ming's grin. "Probably why she's had so many run-ins with the gangs since she came here. You know all about that, don't you, Shaozu?" He asked the youngest Wolfbat with a nudge of his arm.

"It's not funny."

Ming's eyes registered his surprise at their teammate's curt response. "Why so grumpy?"

Admittedly, Tahno was also curious as to what would warrant such a brusque answer from Shaozu, and the curiosity heightened when the firebender's eyes lifted to his own. "Why didn't you tell me she was _your _cousin? If I had known sooner, I could've gotten her job back."

He suddenly remembered that Korra was recently fired from her job at the warehouse that Shaozu owned at the docks. The victory he felt from convincing both his teammates now that the girl was his cousin bolstered his confidence. With an amiable grin, he waved it off. "It's not a big deal. Even if she is my relative, Korra has to learn that she can't just do as she pleases in a city like this."

The firebender contemplated his response, but even though he didn't disagree with his captain, he still appeared troubled. "There has to be _something_ that I can do to set things straight with you, Tahno. I don't want to leave it like this."

Tahno reached for his tea cup and the black material of his sleeve reminded him of the pajamas he had lent the girl, and the image of her in the ill-fitted clothes brought up the memory of how the burnt remains of her original Water Tribe garb was still laying in his hamper.

He took a small gulp of the tea that was provided to him during the interview. "Since you're insistent, there _may_ be something you can do for the girl."

* * *

When he found an empty spot on the couch where the blanket was thrown aside the cushions, the panic didn't necessarily hit him then. But after he searched the rest of the apartment, a chill ran down his neck.

Checking the lobby would have been useless because he would have noticed her earlier, unless she had left well before he was dropped off at the front. His chest tightened at the thought of Korra wandering aimlessly in a city filled with Triad members whom he was certain would be all too happy to find her. The initial chill he felt now deepened into another sensation-like he was being slowly lowered into a pool of frigid water.

An image of her looking out at the city last night emerged from his thoughts. He remembered how fixated her eyes were on the light-strewn scenery below, and he knew then, or at least he hoped, where she was.

He left his apartment and walked briskly to the elevator. After hitting the button to the uppermost level, his foot tapped impatiently while the elevator glided upwards, his eyes watching the buttons lighting up as they passed each floor. When the elevator stopped and the doors slid open again, an empty hallway greeted him. He walked until he reached the end, where a gray set of stairs led upwards to a metal door. With each step he took, he felt as if he was completely submerged in water, and what was n the other side would either drown him or hoist him up.

He pushed aside the heavy door, and he found her sprawled on the roof, her chin tilted upwards to the cloudless stretch of sky. She was still wearing his pajamas.

The afternoon sun warmed the chill from his skin as he walked toward her. "Couldn't just stay put, could you?" He asked, looking down at her.

He saw the blue of her eyes for a second before her right fist shot up, and her face disappeared behind a blur of heat and crimson.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Hi, there. I've said it a thousand times before, but thanks for being patient. I'm sorry for the very, very, VERY, months-late update. Things have been hectic in my personal life and at work. The other story I planned was put on the side-burner, and every time I did try to sit down and write this one, I couldn't produce anything. For those of you who know what it's like to stare at a bright monitor only to come up with nothing, it's not the most pleasant of feelings. I have every intention of finishing this story, but I don't want to rush it. I think it's better that way.

Secondly, thanks for all the reviews and favorites. I haven't actually been to the site until now, but it made me smile knowing that this story wasn't completely forgotten. If you've sent me a message and I haven't responded, I'm sorry. Like I said, life's been hectic and I've got a lot of catching up to do. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, please feel free to read and review!


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